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Do you remember when you were a kid what you wanted to be when you grew up? For me, first I wanted to be a truck driver. Then it was a bull rider \\u2013 I wore boots, jeans, and a cowboy hat to pre-school, kindergarten, and throughout elementary school. I held my own real-life rodeos with the help of my dog. Then it was an astronaut. I had a poster of Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins from the 1969 Apollo 11 space flight and the moon landing. I also wanted to be a veterinarian, an anesthesiologist, and the President of the United States just to name a few more. Luckily, my parents, like so many others, encouraged me to do and be whatever I wanted.

When we are young we are encouraged to explore, learn new things, and be creative. But eventually, that freedom fades as we grow older. Eventually, we\\u2019re expected to bear the normal responsibilities of working a steady job, traditional retirement planning, raising a family, and so on. We quit encouraging people to explore and learn new things way too early in life. At 18 years old you\\u2019re expected to know what you want to do for a career when just 2 years ago you couldn\\u2019t even drive yourself to a job. Before we know it, we\\u2019re slapped with the responsibilities of life, and all that room for being creative quickly disappears.

\\u201cAdults are always asking kids what they want to be when they grow up because they are looking for ideas.\\u201d \\u2013 Paula Poundstone

You can live your life however you want. Anything you can imagine is possible. You must first imagine that. This is your vision. Your vision is the big picture. It\\u2019s the framework for goals and actions. You vision outlines who you want to be, how you want to live your life, and what values you have. Your vision will be your reasons why you wake up every day and pursue your goals. Your vision is what you strive for.

The more specific you can make your vision, the better. A vision to simply \\u201cbe wealthy\\u201d or \\u201cbe happy\\u201d isn\\u2019t enough. Be specific. Use emotionally charged language about how you will feel. Most importantly, write it down. It\\u2019s ok if you don\\u2019t know exactly what your vision is just yet. Writing it down will help you turn your thoughts into words, and then turn those words into actions. Your vision will probably change over time too. Think big with your vision. Remember, people, overestimate what they can do in a year, and underestimate what they can do in a decade. Look at New Year\\u2019s resolutions for example. People set lofty goals only to give up by the time February rolls around.

A lot can change in 5 years, 10 years, and so on. 5 years doesn\\u2019t seem like that long of a time, right? But think back 5 years ago to a point in your life. Look at how much has changed for you since then. I\\u2019m sure you\\u2019ve grown, learned and experienced new things, and are capable of more now. Your interests, hobbies, priorities, and responsibilities have probably changed some too.

One thing is certain: whether you changed (for the better or worse) or not, those 5 years have passed. And the next 5 years will pass.

\\u201cIt is the set of the sails, not the direction of the wind that determines which way we will go.\\u201d \\u2013 Jim Rohn

You owe it to not only yourself but to the other people in your life, to be the best version of you. That\\u2019s all \\u2013 just be the best person you can be. Anything less is wasting your potential, and well, there isn\\u2019t anything more you can do.

Living Intentionally

Your vision serves as a purpose for you to live intentionally. Living intentionally means you make conscious decisions to living your life how you want. As we all know, it can be easy to get caught up in everyday life, being reactive to the things that come our way. If life is a pinball machine, you can either be the pinball being bounced around, or you can be the...'