Creating a Vision Statement

This is an exercise that will help you and your partner to create a very succinct statement about what is important to your relationship. This exercise was adapted from the work of Harrold (2001).

Step 1: In this part of the exercise, consider the following questions together. Simply have a conversation as you consider the four questions below. Take notes if you wish as you engage in the conversation.

• Question 1: What do you want most out of your lives together? What is most important to you in your lives? What is it that lights you both up? What engages you in life? What gives you pleasure? What means more to you than anything else in the world?
• Question 2: How will having the above make you feel in your relationship? As you consider this question, envision that you have what you want and are doing what you want in partnership. Conjure up that vision. What is it like for you to have all that you desire? What are you feeling?
• Question 3: What makes your relationship special? What do you say are the most valuable qualities and strengths of your relationship?
• Question 4: What are you both committed to focusing on right now to achieve that which is most important to you with respect to what you discovered in question 1?

Step 2. Next, together you create the Vision Statement for your relationship in the following format:

“We will (add the answer(s) to question 4) using our (add the answer(s) to question 3) to accomplish/to have (add the answer(s) to question 2) and in so doing achieve (add the answer(s) to question 1) in our life together.”

An example might be: “We will have exploratory conversations using our creativity, planning and partnership to design a project to travel to five continents over the next three years and in so doing be self-expressed, joyful and world travelers.”

Spend ten or fifteen minutes sharing with each other. What are you experiencing as you share your Vision Statement with each other?  With whom in your lives are you going to share your Vision Statement?

Reference

Harrold, F. (2001). Be your own life coach: How to take control of your own life and achieve your wildest dreams. London, England: Hodder and Stoughton.

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