I've kept you on pins and needles long enough (okay, so none of you probably lost any sleep waiting anxiously for this post) - let's talk about Wellness Visions. As a wellness coach, about 1/3 of my training was in learning how to assist clients with creating their personal wellness vision.
At it's most basic definition, a wellness vision is your perfect life. If tomorrow you could wake up and everything was perfect - WHAT WOULD IT LOOK LIKE? FEEL LIKE? AND BE LIKE? If there was fairy magic dust that could be sprinkled over your head tonight so that tomorrow when you woke up everything in your life was exactly as perfect as you could have ever dreamed it could be - WHAT WOULD IT LOOK LIKE? FEEL LIKE? AND BE LIKE? Another way to put it - HOW WOULD YOU KNOW WHEN YOUR LIFE IS PERFECT? It's a HUGE concept that requires a considerable amount of time to thoroughly work through. A 90 minute coaching session is usually dedicated to establishing the client's wellness vision.
Why is a wellness vision important? Well, how do you know where to aim, if you don't have a perfect target? How do you know when you've put in enough effort if you don't have a finish line to look for?
The tease in my last post was "road map". What's that got to do with a wellness vision? You wouldn't set out on a trip across the country without a map. A wellness vision is that map. Maps display many options for arriving at your destination, but more importantly they display the bigger picture - where you are currently and where you want to go. That's a wellness vision. You already know where you are (look in the mirror, ask yourself how happy you are, look at your bank balance, examine your relationships, etc.) but without a wellness vision you have no idea of where you want to go. Once you have a wellness vision (your map), you can begin to plot your path to achieving it - this is accomplished by setting 3 month goals (to be discussed later) and then 3-5 weekly SMART (Specific, Measurable, Action based, Realistic, Time-line) goals. These weekly goals are much like the different highways you can chose when plotting out your road trip. You could take the interstate or you could take the back roads. It's not really about HOW you get there, it's about making choices that get you to your destination/wellness vision. On any road trip, you may chose a small detour so you can see something beautiful, enjoy a tourist site, or avoid construction. The same is true during your path toward your wellness vision. You may become sidetracked with other life events or may struggle to accomplish some of the weekly goals - no worries, be mindful of the what led you to that place and how you can take what you've learned and experienced to help you move toward your wellness vision.
Creating a wellness vision that includes how you will handle stress, how you will incorporate physical activity, how you will eat, how you will love, how you will deal with finances, how you will establish and maintain relationships, how you will enjoy life, how you will raise your children, how you will fellowship with Christ, and so much more. It's your perfect life. What's perfect for you might not be perfect for me - and that's GREAT! It's about YOU and getting all you want out of life.
So, how about it? Are you ready to think about what you really want for yourself out of life? Here are some questions to get you started:
1. What's most important to you?
2. Why are these things important?
3. What are your values?
4. What are your strengths?
5. What are some things that may distract you?
6. What support can you hold onto during your journey?
A wellness vision statement is written as if you were describing your current life (because when you achieve your vision, you will be living it). It would start something like . . .
"I'm a happy, healthy adult who works out at least 5 times a week and is able to purchase clothes in any department store I chose. I am mindful in my eating and control my choices with little effort. I let stress roll off my back and enjoy spending time with my friends on a regular basis. My husband and I share humor and joy daily and display love and respect always to one another. I'm active and alive and live in the moment. I enjoy the work I do and do purposeful things to please Jesus. I celebrate the positivity in others and give back often. . . "
If you would like to share your wellness visions, I'd be honored to read them. Good luck - enjoy the process of thinking about having the perfect life - it's a bit overwhelming at first, but once you wrap your head around the knowledge that your dreams can come true so aim for your strongest desires - it's really empowering. Go for it!
I will post my weekly goals tomorrow as I have typed plenty for tonight.
p.s. How 'bout them Colts!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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