1. Through prayer and seeking God – God made us and shaped us uniquely for our purpose, there is no better source of clarity about your future than God. He’s done this many times before, and yours does not need to be an exception. This was what Jesus did to know who his disciples would be. For perspective, these 12 uneducated common men have become the most referred to group of people in the world.
2. Through an encounter with God – A relationship with God puts you in regular talking terms. Sometimes you may have a dream, sometimes, it’s an open revelation, and often it’s a nudge. Samuel heard a voice calling his name, Abram an idol worshipper, came in touch with an Angel. Joseph had a dream. You also can have a divine encounter.
3. Through discipleship – This is one of the cheapest ways to get clarity on your vision. Have a mentor, a disciple. Someone who can discuss with you and guide you to find your Spiritual Gifts, Heart (passion), Abilities, Personality, and Experiences (SHAPE) and help you decide what your purpose is and what aspect of that purpose you can expect to be fulfilled in 10 years. Discipleship relationships like Paul and Timothy, Jesus and his disciples, Moses and Joshua are a few examples.
4. Through reflection and self-examination – Sometimes it’s plain old sitting with yourself and really examining your life and evaluating your past. Deeply reflecting on all you have been blessed with, you can get a sense of your life’s direction and identify what is possible 10 years from now. David and Paul are very easy-to-sight examples.
5. Through Bible Study – Sometimes, we are reading the scriptures, and certain words leap out at us. We find what was written about us, and our lives gravitate so strongly towards the words that we may have found our calling. This provides the direction so that when you combine it with the other guides, you can get a good estimate of what 10 years from now can look like. Nehemiah heard the news about what was happening in Isreal, tuned in to read, and got his vision, Daniel saw that, based on the scriptures, the 70 years of captivity had passed, and Jesus read the Bible and said, today, these words are fulfilled in right before your eyes.
6. Through Community and Shared Vision – Sometimes, we get the benefit of sharing the same values and ideals with a community of people. This makes the shared vision of the group rub off on us. The collective vision of all of us impacts the vision of each of us. We find ourselves driven to support the whole that we are a part of, and this gives us a direction for what is possible for us 10 years from now.
Please note that we don’t create our vision, we simply discover it. Every human being was made for a purpose, and that purpose is already coded in their DNA. We can discover what we are here for and make it the vision for our personal lives. Our activities may not change, but they will be done with meaning.
Also, note that your 10-year vision is not meant to be accurate to the nth degree, it’s just meant to give you a direction to journey towards, as you get closer, it gets clearer and may include a lot more details in 7 years’ time than it does now.
Kind Regards,
Adeolu Akinyemi.
