If you’ve ever been on a mission to improve your health, and you’ve started strong but soon after fizzled to feeling demotivated and drained, understand that this is very common. When motivation is high, it is easy to stick to your goals and desired behavior changes; however, as motivation fades away, it is easy to throw in the towel and revert back to not-so-healthy behaviors.

What qualities separate those who are most successful at weight loss or shape change versus those that aren’t quite as successful? Your first thought might be that the most successful people have strong willpower or possess consistently high motivation. While that may be true for a percentage of people, I’d venture to say the most successful people have a strong “why” that kickstarts the process of change and allows them to stay strong during the ups and downs that life brings.

When I’m working with clients, I discuss looking at the lack of any goal achievement as an opportunity for learning rather than defining it as a failure. Sometimes, clients find that a simple tweak makes any goal more realistic and achievable. Other times, we uncover through a coaching session that there isn’t a clear “why” behind their desired change. 

If your “why” has yet to be defined, or is too vague and fuzzy, that makes the process of change much more difficult. Change is hard enough as it is, but when change is connected to something superficial, the drive to stay the course can easily decline. A wellness vision, on the other hand, allows you to tap into something much more meaningful and can fuel consistent actions that help you meet your short and long-term goals.

The most skilled coaches understand the importance of having what is known as a wellness vision.  A wellness vision can be defined as a compelling statement of who you are and what health-promoting, life-giving behaviors you want to do consistently for months or years to come. Some of the strongest wellness visions are 3-5 sentences. It isn’t necessary to write out an essay to make this an effective exercise.

A wellness vision is well thought out and crystal clear, describing what optimal health looks and feels like for you. One way to write out your own wellness vision is to assume that it is a year in the future and you are at your absolute best in terms of health, fitness, and overall wellness. 

As you draft your wellness vision, you can use the following questions to help you generate some thoughts and ideas to better bring your vision to life:

  • What are you doing? What does your typical day look like upon waking until you go to sleep? (Are you working out regularly? Eating nutritious food at least 80-90% of the time?  Are you practicing meditation on a regular basis?) 
  • What do you look like? (Are you fit and trim? Are your muscles well-defined or toned? Are you wearing a smaller size and/or wearing your formerly tight clothes with more confidence?) 
  • How do you feel?  (Are you happy and more at peace with yourself? Are you more optimistic in general now as opposed to a year ago? How is your energy level?)
  • Why is it important to me to optimize my health? What kinds of realistic action steps will help me to look, feel, and perform at my very best? (Think about your personal values, your loved ones, your profession, and everything else that is meaningful to you.)

Once you have a pretty clear idea of all of these feelings and images, compose a wellness vision that feels right to you. Just remember to focus on what you want, keep your statements in the present tense, and make it as specific as you can.

For example, a wellness vision may read something like this: 

“A year from now, I am lean, fit & strong. I wake up feeling well-rested after a sound night of sleep, which helps me to tackle my busy day as a mom and professional. I have a number of strategies to help me keep stress at bay, and I use those strategies anytime I feel the need to eat emotionally. I eat a diet that helps to fuel my strength training sessions, which I do 4 times per week from home between 8 am and 10 am. Before I go to sleep, I write out 3 things I am grateful for so I can end my day with a happy heart.” 

Remember, your wellness vision is very important to the process of change. It gives you a glimpse into the best version of yourself, or your future self, as you live out your days at your highest level of wellness. Think of it as a force that beckons you toward goal achievement even when you are constantly running into obstacles and challenges!   

Finally, if this all seems a little too “woo woo” for you, keep in mind that this type of visualization is known to be very powerful for even professional athletes. Not only does it help to boost self-confidence when taking action or pursuing athletic endeavors, but it also helps to improve focus and concentration.  

So get to work if you’ve never composed a wellness vision before! Once you’ve done this writing exercise, we’d love to know if creating a wellness vision has helped you to achieve your goals or has led to greater success with managing your health!

Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash