Defining vision is difficult.
As someone who has been self-employed for nearly 100% of my working life, it’s hard not to view running the business as a means to an end – much like having a full-time employed job. I didn’t start my company with a grandiose vision to change the world. I just enjoyed what I did, and eventually, there was too much work to do by myself.
I recommend starting with something tangible: what does your “perfect year” look like? Talk to your spouse and sit down and really look at life and say: “if we had all the ducks in a row, what does life look like for us?”
- My wife and I both work – that’s not going to change
- We don’t have any kids
- We really, really enjoy traveling
- We enjoy intentional time with friends
- National parks and hiking
- We also enjoy routine and being home
While we were driving home from our annual beach trip with family, we plotted out what our Perfect Year would look like (and put dollar amounts for each):
- 10 extended weekend trips ($W per monthly trip)
- Some of these would be simple “cabin + hike” for a couple of days, while some of them may be visiting out-of-state family and friends
- One 10-14 day vacation ($X)
- Annual family beach trip ($Y)
- 2 week-long trips to visit friends in other states ($Z)
In order to make that happen, we would need:
($W x 10) + $X + $Y + ($Z x 2) = Annual Budget
Now we know what we’re aiming for. For us, we prioritize simple ways to get out of the house regularly and see our people.
Now, the next step is finding the time to do this.
But at least we have a starting point.
