Set Your Vision Before Taking Action
Navigate Your Life With Intention: Part 1 of 4
Ten minute read. You’ll gain a practical method and clear guidance for defining your personal vision. an often overlooked step in personal goal setting.
—by Ralph Haffenden, President and Samantha Haffenden, Leadership Development Associate
In this four-part blog series, we walk through a simple, but powerful framework for living intentionally - using goals to help you make clearer decisions and follow through on what matters most.
This series is grounded in what we’ve seen work (and not work). We are sharing the high-level framework we use in our coaching program, Clear Outcomes, Lasting Commitments, which includes five hours of interactive classes, guided worksheets, and individual feedback. That said, these blogs stand on their own and provide an approach you can independently apply.
At the end of each blog, we cite empirical psychology research that supports our methodology and approach. If you are interested in learning more about the science behind our ideas, feel free to check them out.
The first step in our approach is setting a clear VISION. Without vision, we’re at serious risk of mistaking action for progress. If setting a vision sounds like a heavy lift, you’re not alone. Our approach is straightforward and takes about 30 minutes. Let’s get started.
— Ralph and Sam
“If you don’t know where you’re going, you’’ll end up someplace else.”
Why Vision Comes First
Ralph:
So, Sam, let’s start with the big picture. From your studies and the work you’re doing now, what are some of the most common things people should do to set goals wisely?
Sam:
One of the biggest things I see is that people take on too much right away. They get excited about all the different possibilities of what they could do, and that usually leads to overloading their plate. When that happens, people burn themselves out, get overwhelmed, and eventually disengage.
So starting small is generally the best practice.
Ralph:
That resonates a lot. Starting slower, with fewer goals and building momentum, really matters for motivation and follow-through. Sometimes people decide how many goals to take on as a first step, but there’s something they’re missing. A person needs a clear sense of what they’re trying to move toward, and why. That’s having a personal vision.
Your vision can be six months out or six years out. It doesn’t have to be perfect or permanent. It just has to be yours.
Sam:
In psychology, the term superordinate goals are the end goals you’re striving toward over time. They have to be grounded in vision for them to be meaningful. They make sure all of your effort is tied together.
If you have a bunch of goals that don’t fit together, it actually takes more effort. Your energy is scattered. But when goals align under a shared vision, progress on one goal can support another. Sometimes you really do get that “two birds with one stone” effect.
And that feels good. It reinforces motivation and helps people work toward that future version of themselves they’re carrying around, whether they realize it or not.
Your vision isn’t a one time event. It’s a living reference point.
Why Vision Is Hard
Ralph:
This is where I think a lot of people quietly get stuck. We tell people, “Start with vision,” but we don’t always acknowledge how intimidating that can feel.
Sam:
Right. A lot of people hear “vision” and immediately think it’s vague, abstract, or… a little out there. Others get overwhelmed by the lack of a clear process. They don’t know how to start, so they don’t start at all.
Ralph:
And then there’s the pressure to “get it right.” What if I choose the wrong vision? What if I change my mind? What if I want everything and can’t choose where to focus?
Sam:
Exactly. People often think that if they can’t articulate a crystal-clear vision for their entire life, that means they’re bad at this. Or broken. Or behind. That’s just not true.
A Practical Way to Define Vision
Ralph:
When I work with our clients, I try to demystify vision. At its core, vision is simply your working definition of a good life, for you.
A helpful way to start is by choosing just a few dimensions of life as thought starters - not as a checklist. A sample menu to chose from:
Self
Family
Work
Community
Faith / spirituality
Contribution or cause
You don’t need to cover all of these dimensions - I would advise against doing that. You’re not locking yourself into a permanent identity, you’re defining what you want - at this moment in time. You’re just creating enough clarity to guide decisions.
Sam:
I like that approach because it lowers the barrier to entry. Vision doesn’t have to be performative or comprehensive. It just has to be sufficient.
Some people use tools like vision boards, but just writing things down is all you need to do. If someone is starting from zero, even picking three dimensions - say self, family, and one other from the list above - is enough to begin setting meaningful goals.
And it’s important to say this out loud: your vision should be yours, not borrowed from someone else. A lot of people unknowingly adopt visions that came from parents, culture, social media, or organizational expectations. That’s one reason goals feel hollow - they’re not actually anchored in personal purpose.
Safe Ways to Build a “Good Enough” Vision
Sam:
There are a few different ways people can approach this, depending on what support they need.
Some people benefit from external frameworks - books, guided exercises, structured programs. Even then, doing this alone can still be hard.
Ralph:
That’s where coaching helps. Not because the coach gives you your vision, but because they help you ask better questions and stay out of your own way.
A couple of principles I use:
Timeframe: Don’t start with “my whole life. ” Start with something like, “What are some things I want to be different three years from now?”
Scope: Define vision by life dimensions first, then integrate.
Constraints: Time box the exercise. Set a timer for thirty to sixty minutes. When time’s up, you stop. That’s your vision for now - no regrets, no judgment.
Sam:
Vision is not a one-time event. It’s a living reference point.
You’ll refine your vision as you learn more about yourself and your capacity. In Clear Outcomes, Lasting Commitments, we dedicate the entire first session to this step for exactly that reason - because everything else depends on it.
Authentic Alignment Beats Raw Ambition
Ralph:
So if vision is the foundation, alignment is the test.
Sam:
Yes. Goals need to feel authentic. When people are working toward something that genuinely matters to them, it’s intrinsically motivating. And down the road, when they’re close to achieving that goal, they can feel good not just about the outcome, but about the person they’ve become in the process.
If a goal doesn’t feel authentic - if it’s driven purely by external pressure - people won’t stick with it.
Ralph:
So what I hear you saying is that goals are really about a self-defined, evolving, adaptable identity, not just a list of achievements.
Sam:
Exactly. Ultimately, whether goals are professional or personal, you’re working on yourself. If you’re investing energy into becoming someone you don’t actually like or recognize, that effort won’t sustain itself. Authenticity matters.
And it also ties into control. Goals should be grounded in things you can actually influence.
Vision vs. Organizational Goals
Ralph:
This is an important distinction, especially in when the focus is the workplace.
Organizations set goals for people all the time. Sales targets. Delivery metrics. Performance objectives. Those are real, and they matter. That’s where tools like SMART goals are useful.
But what we’re talking about here is different. This is about a person living mindfully with stated purposes and clear intentions. For example, someone might hit every performance metric at work while feeling increasingly misaligned with the life they’re actually building.
Sam:
That’s where vision and superordinate goals come in. You decide what you want to develop, what skills you need, what experiences matter.
Sometimes you can collaborate with your manager if your goals focus on your work. Sometimes you don’t get that support, which is one reason why people seek coaching.
And it’s critical to remember that working on goals in the workplace doesn’t exist in isolation. Those efforts have to fit into your whole life.
Managing Total Capacity
Ralph:
This is something I’ve learned the hard way. For a long time, I thought there was “work Ralph” and “home Ralph.”
Now I know there’s just one me. One energy tank. One clock. One calendar.
Sam:
That’s such an important realization. People try to segment work stress, family stress, and personal goals as if they’re independent. They’re not.
You only have so much time and energy. Goals across life domains compete for the same resources.
And that’s another reason intrinsic goals matter. External goals - the ones placed upon you by others - keep you employed. Intrinsic goals are what make life feel meaningful.
Scaling Back Is Also a Goal
Ralph:
One thing that often gets missed in goal-setting conversations is that sometimes the right goal is doing less. I quote Peter Drucker a lot. One of my favorite quotes of his is:
“There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all.”
Sam:
Absolutely. Scaling back, protecting time, prioritizing wellness - those are valid goals.
People tend to think goals always mean adding more. But focusing on what truly matters can mean subtracting.
Work-life balance, rest, hobbies, relationships - those things prevent burnout and actually improve performance and quality of life over time.
Ralph:
Work isn’t Disneyland. But it is possible to find fulfillment, enjoyment, and sustainability at work if you have the right role in a supportive environment. Sometimes career fulfillment requires recalibrating professional ambition, not abandoning it.
Looking Ahead
Ralph:
So if vision gives direction, the next step is translating that vision into superordinate goals - the few high-level aims that organize everything else. That’s what we’ll tackle in the next blog.
Sam:
Vision sets the “why.” Superordinate goals start to shape the “what.”
And once those are clear, setting intermediate goals becomes much more manageable - and much more motivating.
Next Week’s Blog Will Focus On
Turning vision into a small number of meaningful commitments.
What alignment actually looks like in day-to-day decisions.
How misalignment quietly drains energy.
Apply This Approach in Practice
This blog series is designed to stand on its own. You can use it as a self-guided way to rethink how you set and pursue goals over time. Think of it like a fitness plan: you can follow it on your own, and for many people that’s enough.
For others, a personal trainer makes the difference - not because they do the work for you, but because they provide structure, perspective, and accountability. That same dynamic applies here.
For those who want that kind of support, we’ve created a small-group program, Clear Outcomes, Lasting Commitments. The program applies the concepts we are sharing in this series in a guided setting.
The program meets across five live sessions with no more than eight participants. Worksheets completed in advance help focus each session on conversation, reflection, and application rather than lecture.
You can learn more about the program here:
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