It has been a long time since you’ve thought about it, but that woman’s perfume reminded you of the time you were in your local pharmacy and had that crazy dream to become a rock ‘n’ roll star! Wow! That WAS a long time ago, wasn’t it? You’re now in your mid-thirties, a college graduate and raising a family with a mortgage, school loans and debt hanging over your head – and you are doing so by running your own business or working at some occupation that has nothing to do with music. You’re no longer 11 years old learning to play the guitar in your basement, just knowing that you’re going to make the next Top 10 Hit.  

Maybe that’s a good thing.  After all, rock n’ roll legends have notoriously hard lives.  Then again, maybe your musical reign would have been different.  So what happened along the way? Well, someone probably brought up the fact that it is VERY difficult to break into the music business and that you can’t make a lot of money bar-hopping various gigs, trying to get noticed by an agent or music producer. Maybe you really didn’t play as well as you thought or the guitar never felt quite right as “your” instrument. Then what is the purpose of all this day dreaming? Why am I taking you on a long walk back in time? Because I want you to regain your ability to have Vision. You had it when you were younger. You had something you really wanted and Life snatched it away from you. It may have been done quickly and cruelly by a family member or friend or it might have occurred slowly. It faded from your sight because of your need to make a living. Whatever triggered your dream to be dashed, you lost your vision, you became resigned to merely making ends meet or became so debt-ridden you had no other choice but working to pay the bills.  Whatever.  Past is past. Now you want a change in your life.  Let’s work on getting it back for you.  

Last newsletter we discussed how to find one’s purpose in life. I gave you a bunch of questions so that you could figure out what you wanted MOST in life and then set some financial goals so that you could really pursue it. Vision is only slightly different from Purpose in that Vision is the motivator that gets you hopping out of bed each morning so you work on your purpose. Vision is the mental picture that pounces into your brain each time you feel down or discouraged because of another speed bump in the road of Life. Vision is the crystal-clear image that you use to keep walking the path of the debt-free lifestyle. Without Vision, you wander and fall and give up. With it, you wander and fall and jump right back up to tackle the world anew.  

Here’s an example. When I first started on the journey to financial independence, what was it that would keep me motivated during times of stress? What kept me hanging laundry, making meals from scratch, taking time to make things rather than buy them or gave me the forbearance to resist splurging my family’s hard-earned capital? My vision. I had a very strong vision of what I wanted and where I was headed in life. My mental picture was of me teaching physics and chemistry at a little community college in some rural town while raising my kids. I also had the image of my husband working from home, playing with the kids during the day when he took breaks and writing (his long-time dream from youth) historical fiction in the evenings. These two mental pictures were my images of what financial independence looked like, and they kept me going during the tough times when all I wanted to do was throw my hands up in despair and quit trying to be so “good.”  

I had other pictures too. Such as our family sitting around our dining room table for at least two meals a day, Brad being able to help with Boy Scouts and taking a more active role with all of our children’s home-schooling education. Me having time to read, study and get advanced degrees (I’m currently enrolled in a PhD program).  And these are just a few of my main ones. So when you think of Vision, don’t limit yourself to just one. What is the “movie” you could make from your life if you were financially independent? What sort of life are you working toward? Vision is what helps to get you there during the challenging times when Life seems determined to put you back into debt.  

My challenge to you today is to rediscover or even create your Vision. What does a debt-free life look like to you? What is the dream that you gave up that could be the truly satisfying “job” you take after you “retire?” This is the sort of day-dreaming that is highly productive now and gives you the comfort you need when you stumble. Here are some questions to get you started creating your internal movie: 

What do I look like when I am financially independent?

What do I do for my community? Family? Myself?

What hobbies do I have?

Do I travel more? Stay at home more? Volunteer more?

What sorts of clothes do I wear?

What people are around me? Who stays with me? Who drops from my life?

What sorts of possessions do I have? Is my house simpler, less cluttered or am I in a totally different home?  Do I have any possessions at all?!  

Until you have a clear understanding of where you are headed, you’ll wander and fall and stumble a lot more then if you have a Vision to support you up each time you trip. Keep yourself motivated and strong by having an internal picture of who you are becoming.  Every day, little by little, the new you is forming. Keep at it and you’ll love remembering who you are!