I just finished my personal vision for 2015, and I feel outstanding! I’ve created an exciting narrative for where I want to be in 2.5 years, and I can’t wait to start working towards it (SPOILER ALERT: I already am!).

Let me backtrack. In February, Julie and I attended a seminar with ZingTrain called “Creating a Vision of Greatness.” The seminar was excellent. We were taught by Ari Weinzweig, Zingerman’s CEO, and Maggie Bayless, a ZingTrain partner. They taught us Zingerman’s view of the world and how visions can be incorporated into anything that requires long-term planning. They view the vision as an exciting destination that you should work towards. In Zingerman’s case, the vision is for the state of their business, but it can really apply to anything. I applied it to my life.

Here’s how it works. Choose a time in the future. Think about the positive things that you’d like to accomplish by then. Set aside 45 minutes and free write with a pen and some paper. Don’t let yourself stop until the time is up. Write in the present tense but at the future time of your vision. The result will be a very rough draft, but a thrilling start to where you want to be in the future. If you’re not excited about what you’ve written, then it’s a sign that you may not be heading down the right path. Here is Zingerman’s vision for 2020.

Ari and Maggie recommend going 10-15 years out, but that is an unfathomable timeframe for me. Julie and I chose the start of 2015. We will be making some significant decisions in that timeframe, and we didn’t feel comfortable going beyond it. Also, we have discussed a big shift in our life at that time, so it became a logical touch point.

I’ve set some impressive goals for myself within my vision. It’s also powerful because I’ve shown Julie where I see our relationship going, and she’s done the same. Our aspirations won’t come as a surprise to each other (like if I had a secret wish to move to a kibbutz. Julie would not come with unless it was one without stray cats, which we can all agree is not possible in Israel). We can feel comfortable with our decisions because we know they are working towards our joint vision.

I realize that everything that I’ve written won’t necessarily come true, but I find it so exciting to set my course for the future. It has given me clarity, purpose and confidence in myself and my decisions.

P.S. I just consulted my vision when trying to find something to do while I was bored, and it actually helped. VERY COOL!