Why You Are Still Stuck—and the Vision Shift That Will Set You Free

One of my coaching clients asked for my help with her work situation. Let us call her Emma. Emma is a full-time attending physician who has been struggling with finishing her clinical work on time. She is usually at least one week behind in completing the patient charts, and she has over seven hundred unattended inbox messages – some are six months old. She is hopeful that I can change all those things.

During our coaching sessions, we talked about what she wanted, and I asked her to be as specific as possible. Emma wanted to be finished with all her work by 6 pm, or 7 pm the latest, so that she could have time to take dancing classes and to do other things she enjoys.

We talked about strategies to be more efficient, to focus better, to minimize distractions, to delegate to celebrate – strategies I used and successfully became more efficient. Those were also the same strategies I used to guide other physicians. After some progress at work, somehow, she was not able to further advance.

As we were diving deeper, the cause was identified. Even though she knew what she wanted, it was not a clear vision for her. It seemed to be something far, far away, as if something she could only dream of. Naturally, Emma thought that finishing all her work by 7 pm was not possible. Imagine when you think something is not possible for you to achieve – would you try very hard to do it? Would you even bother to attempt?

What is more important than the actual steps or actions to achieve your goal is to be very clear and specific on your goal – so clear that you can visualize it. You can bring yourself to the future, imagine what it is like when you achieve that very goal. Since it is not your reality yet, it takes some power of imagination. Let us use Emma as an example. She knows way too well what it is like in the present – always falling behind in her work, barely surviving, and she has no time to do something she enjoys.

To have a clear vision of what it is like to leave work earlier with free evening time, it is important to have the ability to imagine. Imagine without the constraints of your current situation. Imagine without limits. I always share that there is no imagination police. When you are confined by what you can do now, thinking that it is as good as it gets, or not believing you can achieve what you want, you will continue to stay in the present. You will continue to stay stuck. You are limiting your own potential.

Free yourself to dream. Dream big. Visualize what you want to achieve. What if you have a magic wand and you can get what you want? Free yourself from thinking about how you can achieve your goal just yet. Back to Emma. What does it look like to leave work by 6 pm or 7 pm? Visualize all the little details. The clock says 6 pm, and the last item in your inbox is completed. You have completed all the patient charts and you are ready to leave the clinic. There is a dance class at 7:30 pm and you have time to have dinner before the class. Imagine that picture – how do you feel? I imagine you are probably feeling accomplished, excited, grateful, content, or some similar feelings. Experience them while you are doing your imagination exercise. Remember them. Do you like what you are feeling?

The more you imagine and visualize your goal, the more details you can come up with, the more you get to experience the emotions associated with the vision – the easier you will believe that it is possible for you to achieve that goal.

A clear vision gives you direction, otherwise you will stay stuck. You will unknowingly limit your potential. Without a clear vision, even though you know the theories or the concepts of how to achieve your goal, it is difficult to get there – because it is hard for you to believe it is possible. When you do not believe something is possible, you are limiting yourself to possibilities.

Having a clear vision is the foundation of achieving your goals. It is important to visualize what it is like when you get there. Create a vision without worrying about the how. Be as detailed in your vision as possible. Be open to possibilities. The more you practice with imagining your vision, the closer you are to achieving your goal.