The Future Awaits

Write down this vision; clearly inscribe it on tablets so one may easily read it.

-Habbakuk 2:2

For most church goers, many of us have heard this scripture many times in our lives and its potency has not waned over time. Due to the underlying context within this verse, it has become a firm foundation with how I plan my life and the lives of my family.

At the beginning of 2020 I wrote my annual plan, which is simply a list of what I wanted to accomplish by year's end. Typical goals such as better sleep, capitalizing on financial opportunities, career advancement, and optimal family time were on my list. I was completely fine with that until I saw a Facebook video from a well known and successful entrepreneur (that I knew from childhood). After seeing his video and reviewing my annual plan, I wasn't impressed with my goals. I wasn't impressed because they were unrealistic or unattainable; I became unimpressed because they were too small.

There were 2 key things that I gleaned from the video that changed my thinking.

Plan in Decades

I can't speak for most people, but I'll wager that many have had the '1yr-3yr-5yr plan' preached to them. I, however, have never heard of the phrase 'plan in decades'...but I understood why after thinking on it. 365 days flies by in a blink; I can barely remember what transpired in the world 3 yrs ago, and thinking of some events from 5 yrs past escapes me at times. Creating, documenting, and executing a vision that exceeds the boundaries of your personal life can realistically take 10 years. Even now in my mid-30s, I have to work the vision for key life milestones (lifestones as I call them) coming on the horizon:

- Becoming debt free

- 2 of 3 children graduating high school and beginning their lives as adults

- Property ownership

- Retiring from military service

These are a few major lifestones that I can't just hope for, but actually plan for. That's not all I'm planning for. I'm driven to write a vision for my life and family in my 40s. I have ideas of how I want to live financially, mentally, spiritually, physically, and emotionally for my 50s, and I have visions of how I want to (1) live free, owing no one anything and (2) the inheritance I want to bless my grandchildren with in my 60s. None of that is just going to fall in my lap, it will take work.

Work the Vision

I mentioned this previously and it's self explanatory; your vision will not happen without diligent and strategic work. You can't expect to obtain what you desire without sacrifice. Depending on the vision of your life, it will be hard. It will be require long nights, early mornings, conservative financial decisions, and some availability to take calculated (key word) risks. 'Does this vision require sacrifice from me? What will it cost me?' Those are the questions you need to answer when creating and executing a vision. If the answer is no, then your vision may be too small.

Praying for God to give you a vision for your life, by itself, is only the first step. Vision is the blueprint to map out your life, but you must be prepared to work to get what you desire. It's not an option for me, my vision won't let me take shortcuts. My kids and grandchildren depend on it.

"What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? In the same way faith, if it doesn’t have works, is dead by itself."

- James 2:14, 17