What’s your vision for 2013?

Have you made a New Year’s resolution? Have you let your creativity soar and created a vision board? Or, are you sitting in the land of good intentions waiting for your life to change by wishing it so? However you answered those questions, I have good news for you! You can make 2013 a year to remember. It all starts with a vision. It’s the vision that will make all the difference.

“Vision is the art of seeing the invisible.” Jonathan Swift

Most of us know what we want deep down inside of us; we just lack the belief that our dream could become a reality. Think back to when you were a child, what did you want to be? I challenge you to consider the possibilities for your life. Just for a moment remove all the barriers that rise up in your mind. Push away the negative voices, silence the self-doubt that tells you that you aren’t good enough, smart enough or talented enough. Imagine a vision for your life based on your dreams and desires. Imagine your vision with vivid detail, passion and belief. Then imagine it as if it is now a reality. This is the essence where visions are made and dreams are realized. Once a vision is cast firmly in your mind, once you can see it, feel it, touch it, and describe it, the possibility of it becoming a reality is only a matter of time.

I had the opportunity to lead a visioning exercise with a group of outstanding administrative professionals from Microsoft. Their assignment was to create a vision statement for their administrative professional community. Here’s a few of the vision statements they created:

“Provide excellent support to our managers and the team by mastering the internal tools, efficiently responding to and anticipating needs, and leveraging each admin's strengths.”

“Be pillars of the organization by enhancing the productivity of all employees and the ability to meet or exceed organizational goals through continuous support, bolstering morale, and cross-group collaboration.”

“Providing extraordinary customer service through teamwork and positive influence.”

“Leveraging our strengths to achieve operational excellence.
• Collaboration and Teamwork
• Respect and Communication and Transparency
• Subject Matter Expert and Sharing Best Practices”

"Create an environment rich in - trust, feedback / communication, respect, and development."

"Be innovative. Be impactful while providing seamless administrative support. GSD/CYA. (get shit done, cover your ass). :)"

"We have proactively to committed exceptional results and maintaining high integrity in our day to day roles."

"We will live our values of being highly trusted, accountable, consistent, dependable and knowledgeable through our support and guidance. We will build, cultivate and mature successful relationships with internal and external partners and serve as the central hub of the organization...creating a fun and positive environment."

"Delivering superior service to the team by being proactive and resourceful with a "can-do" attitude this furthering success and goals of Microsoft."

"We kick butt so you can to by providing seamless services for superb results."

"Delivering quality support to the organization by partnering and executing on our excellent services."

"We exhibit open communication, foster a cohesive team with a high level of trust and are proactive with the teams' needs, wants and goals."

I challenge you to put this exercise to work for you and create your own personal vision statement. It really is the vision for your life that will make all the difference.

“We are limited, not by our abilities, but by our vision.”