8 Places to Check For Alignment in Your Vision

This is Part 14 of a series on vision. You can read previous installments here:

Part 1. Part 2. Part 3. Part 4. Part 5. Part 6. Part 7. Part 8. Part 9. Part 10. Part 11. Part 12. Part 13.

When creating a vision, it’s important to check for alignment. Here are 8 places to check for alignment so you can keep your vision on track.

Even if your vision is misaligned with one or more of these elements doesn’t mean you’re doomed to fail. It does mean that you may wish to consider making some shifts to your vision or whichever element is not aligned with it.

(1) Values

Values are states of emotion or states of being that we either desire to feel or have (these are our “toward values”) or that we wish to avoid feeling or having (our “away values”).

(2) Beliefs

A belief is an idea or thought that you are convinced is true. It’s a conviction based on previous experience, evidence you believe to support the idea, or that you absorbed from your environment.

(3) Attitudes

It is our attitude at the beginning of a difficult task which, more than anything else, will affect its successful outcome. — William James

Attitudes emerge from beliefs and values, but are their own category. Generally speaking, an attitude is the disposition you have to doing an action.

Carl Jung, defined attitude as “the readiness of the psyche to act or react in a certain way.”

(4) Driving Needs

Abraham Maslow talked about the hierarchy of needs that are universal for all humans. Tony Robbins simplified this into six core human needs: certainty, uncertainty/variety, significance, love/connection, growth, and contribution. According to Tony, each of us has all these needs. Our driving needs are the two needs we try to meet most often.

(5) Identity

Your identity is the amalgamation of many elements, including your beliefs, values, attitudes, driving needs, and the roles your play in life. In short, it is how you perceive yourself.

Identity is one of the strongest drivers of human behavior.

(6) Rhythms

Your rhythms are the ideal ways that you live and work. The most common rhythm people consider is circadian rhythms, like whether you’re a lark or an owl. Also important are longer rhythms: Are you a marathoner or a sprinter? Do you make decisions quickly or slowly? Are you impulsive or more slow to act?

(7) What Fulfills You

What are the things that light the fire of your spirit? What do you enjoy doing? What gives your life meaning?

The responses to these are not always obvious, nor are they static. We often require periods of experimentation and introspection, as well as outside support, to see ourselves in this way.

(8) Your Strengths

What are you good at? If you want to build a compass for success, it helps to give yourself every advantage. Build from your strengths.