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Try it, it works!
2019-04-12
3 minutes
Caroline Chevrier
Female entrepreneurship
Caroline Chevrier
Female entrepreneurship
"Where will you be in 5 years?" I first asked this killer question to those around me. "I have no idea where I'll be in a year, let alone in five!" Did this lack of projection in time only concern those close to me? In order to find out for sure, I asked the audience at my last conference on entrepreneurship...
“Raise your hand, those of you who know where you will be in 5 years.” Only 10% had a clear answer to provide*.
Few people can answer this question. Yet research shows that the clearer our vision of where we're going, the more likely we are to get there**.
Since I was 25, I have gotten into the habit of thinking about what I want in the next five years once a year. I write down my dreams and ambitions on a sheet of paper, and it works amazingly well. The aspirations listed there come true. I recently found a piece of paper where I had written “2020: freedom” and guess what? In December 2018, I was starting a sabbatical year.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Caroline Chevrier
ABOUT
Caroline Chevrier is a successful businesswoman and entrepreneur. She is one of the renowned professionals in the communications field in Quebec. She regularly speaks as an expert in the media on food and health issues. As a speaker, she shares her passion for entrepreneurship with the goal of increasing business creation in Quebec.
We spend hours planning our trips, our next destinations, and very little planning our future or that of our business. To better understand the importance of a long-term vision, I spoke with Hélène Savignac, co-founder of Synaxon Expansion, a firm specializing in business transfer and expansion. Here are her observations: “By planning over a five-year horizon, we open ourselves up to many possibilities, rather than waiting until the last minute, limiting our possibilities, in addition to facing unforeseen events and disappointments.”
Many of the women entrepreneurs I meet have the attitude of a winner. They believe in their dreams, surround themselves wonderfully, and “program” themselves for success. The most successful are those who make the effort to clarify their vision. It then becomes their fuel. A mental picture of what success looks like.
How can we achieve this in a world where the most distant view often has a six-month horizon? Here are some questions to ask yourself in order to clarify your vision.
• What do I want to undertake? (Start my MBA, start a business, look for a new job, start a family, compete in a sports competition)
• What is my dream? (To be in the top 100 most influential people in Canada, to go live in the countryside, to become a borough mayor, to learn to fly)
There is no better time to do this exercise. I have always done it in a fairly informal way. I found some scribbles from 2008.
I had it all written down: personal and professional life included, including travel, MBA, babies, selling my business, the cottage, investments, advanced courses… And you know what, 80% of that vision came true.
Just writing it down allows me to think about what I really want and allows me to internalize my goals and have a clear vision of where I'm going. I then focus on two or three specific goals in my year and revisit and adjust them as needed.
This week, take an hour to visualize your future!
Come on, play the game! Clarify your vision and make yourself an Olympic athlete. Try it, it works. You won't regret it!
Additionally, we have created a simple tool for you to get started .
*Based on a sample of 125 people.
**According to Forbes, survey conducted in 2016 on 1,100 participants, including 500 SME owners.