This may be the most life coach-like exercise of the entire Academic Life Coaching program. Creating a positive vision for the future is one of the main methods that people have been successful at, whether athletically, academically or professionally. There is a high value in vision. In the previous session we looked at being motivated away from pain versus being motivated toward what we want. Creating a vision helps students shift more easily into going after what they want. It helps students stay motivated and focused because they have a concrete idea of what life will be like if they put the work in.

If students put in their work and effort they will ultimately get where they want to go. The challenge is to stay motivated even when it doesn’t look like the benefit is in clear view or that it’s going to be easy. The point of creating a vision tape is for them to keep that benefit at the front of their mind and put the work in even before they have to so they can stay ahead and excited about what they’re accomplishing.

You can support your child by also creating your own vision tape or your own structure of what you’d like to see accomplished in your own life in the next year. The first step is to do another Wheel of Life, but this time, instead of looking at the current state of your life, draw a quick sketch of where you want things to be in a year. Then take some time and describe what it would be like to live a day in that visioned life a year from now. Then either create a tape of yourself rehearsing that new life or another piece of tangible art to help remind you of what that vision is.

Now the work is both holding a positive vision in mind and still taking positive action steps at the same time. Most people do one or the other. They take the action steps, but only because they want to get away from something negative, or they have a positive vision in mind but they don’t take the action steps. It takes doing both to achieve something great.

I’d suggest making two recordings, one that you use only for yourself and one that you feel comfortable sharing with others. As you make the statement, I think you’ll realize how very quickly how personal the tapes are and yet how powerful it is to see what is possible.

From the Academic Life Coaching Workbook

In the last session we reviewed the importance of having a vision in mind to keep you motivated towards an outcome. In this session, you get the opportunity to create a reminder for that vision for you to work towards. The more details you can add to your vision, the richer and more useful it will be for you.

Start with another Wheel of Life, but this time, instead of putting what’s currently happening, put what you ideally want in each of the wedges. Then imagine yourself in a year (or some other time in the future). From the point of view of the future, look back on what you have accomplished and write about your life as if that amazing outcome is real and you have lived that reality.

Then imagine yourself in a year (or some other time in the future). From the point of view of the future, look back on what you have accomplished and write about your life as if that amazing outcome is real and you have lived that reality.