We’ve already passed half of this year and when the year started, you probably had some New Year’s resolutions, written or not. Let me guess, if you go back to that list now, you probably forgot about half of it.

The reason why resolution lists don’t work and neither simple decisions like: “I’m gonna run 1k every day”, “I’m gonna stop eating sweets” is because they are simple to-do lists or restrictions. They feel like daily chores. They are supposed to be means to achieve something, but do you know what you want to achieve?

To make them effective and be able to stick to whatever actions you have on your daily routine, to turn them into habits, you need to have a vision. Yes, you’ve heard this multiple times, even companies promote visions. You know why company visions often don’t work? Because people don’t adhere to them and work is done by people. A vision is personal and you have to… “envision” it!

If you’ve been reading this site for a while, you know that here we bring up solutions that work, and say things pretty blunt. A company vision stating “we aim to become the number 1 provider… blabla…. the number 1 company in… blabla” means shit at a personal level. It’s a fact. That’s why product companies are more successful. Because they usually say “we aim to design exquisite technology, that’s both elegant and revolutionary…” and yeah, people can adhere to that. I can hear an individual stating that as his or her professional goal. I didn’t hear anyone yet saying “I aim to put big bucks in other people’s pockets…”. Really…

So back to You, now. Let’s say your resolution or declared goal was that you want to lose weight and for somebody else the goal was “I want to become a good tech pro”. Those are nice, sound good, but they are not really drivers to help you envision what you want to achieve.

Take a step back and simplify. Just envision what you want to achieve. Take some quiet time to think about it. It doesn’t have to be one thing: you might have a vision of your physical fitness, another vision of your career, of your relationships. If you’re having a hard time because imagination isn’t your strong point, here’s where visual boards can help.

1. Use tech to your advantage. Google is full of images. Search for images linked to that one word that defines your vision. It’s literally impossible to not find an image that describes your vision. If you have another vision, repeat the search. If you can find one image that merges those visions, that’s excellent. It doesn’t have to be highly specific, it just has to reflect that quality or word you are looking for (success, fitness, power, familly, etc).

2. Save that image.

3. Take those saved images and put them together: either print them and put them somewhere you can see them or collate them and make a wallpaper. The point is to see them everyday.

Once you will have a clear vision, that to-do list you have everyday to achieve your goals will get done in no time. That is because your priorities will change. You will know where you want to get. You’ll even work faster to get out of the way the things you don’t want to spend time on. Here’s a nice surprise along the way: once your brain clearly sees and knows what it’s aiming for, it will unconsciously drive you to that goal, by noticing and reacting to things that help you achieve that vision.

You don’t run or work out for the sake of moving your limbs. You don’t meditate for the sake of silence. One doesn’t eat healthy food for the sake of taste. You run because you envision yourself as a fit person. You meditate because you envision yourself peaceful and you eat healthier because you envision yourself enjoying life. Or these 3 visions taken as example can merge into one vision: a person who is able to enjoy life at any age, and those are just means to achieve that.

There would be one more secret and you will find more about it in a future article: raise your standards. Do that in every aspect of your life, from small things like the coffee you drink to the relationships you have. The first ones are easier to change, but once raising your standards becomes a habit… wow! You’ll be amazed at the results.

Find that vision that defines you. Feel free to change it once you are ready to aim higher. Good luck!