The New Year is the perfect time to start fresh, set goals and aspirations, and look to the year ahead with inspiration, intention, and wonder. Setting intentions and having a vision of where you are heading are important on this path.

Writing your list of intentions for the New Year can be an inspiring process—one that is typically born from a deeper desire to be, do, or have new experiences in the coming year. The act of contemplating where you are in your life and envisioning what’s next stirs a new energy within. When this is done with consciousness and intention, it ignites something bigger, which guides you on your path.

Unfortunately, after a few weeks, the excitement wears off for some and the list gets put away. Having a vision of where you are heading and why it is important to you plays a crucial role in accomplishing meaningful, long-term goals.

Where some may go wrong is in not looking further down the path to where the accomplishment of these newly set goals will lead you three, five, or 10 years from now. When your intentions and goals are aligned with your vision, however, they are connected to what is most important to you at the deepest level. There is a lifeline linking your vision to each of the independent goals you’ve set along the way and those goals, when achieved, end up being the milestones you pass as you close the distance between where you are and where you want to be.

Successful business people know that the company or organization must first begin with a vision—what they offer, who they serve, and what is the intended outcome. Business leaders understand that there is a specific mission they are on—a purpose they intend to fulfill, which will make their brand the best at what they do and will also be sustainable long term. Creative directors also begin with the end in mind. They have a vision of where they want to be and they build their projects from end to beginning.

When looking at a fresh canvas to create your next masterpiece on, it will serve you well to begin with the following questions:

  • What is your vision for your life in the New Year?
  • What is your highest vision for your career in the New Year?
  • What is your ultimate vision for your relationship in the New Year?
  • What is the most inspiring vision you have for your health and wellness in the New Year?

Your next steps are to choose an area of life that is most in need of your attention. Once you have settled on an area of focus, spend some time considering and writing down why this is important to you. Now, begin to set those goals and write them down as well.

Once you have identified your goals it is time to take action. Keep in mind that it is normal to feel some nervousness and even fear when setting big goals that are connected to your purpose in this life. You should feel some sort of energy buzzing because you have just declared to the universe that you are going after something monumental. Do not let that stop you. Anything worth having will require commitment, dedication, and a steady focus.