Creating Your Wellness Vision Part 4: Creating Your Wellness Vision

Hi, I'm Liz Moser, a Mayo Clinic and National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach.

The kickoff call with my new clients takes about an hour and a half, and it’s about discovering the information they need to create their wellness visions.

My clients hire me because they desire a healthier lifestyle.  Usually, they want support and accountability around their nutritional habits.   So, they have an idea about what they desire or want more or less of in their lives while usually being fuzzy about their values or strengths.

During our initial 90-minute call, we explore how their values align with their goals, their unique strengths, our abilities to make those goals a reality, and despite their certainty about their purpose for coaching, I still invite them to go deeper and explore what they want more of or less of in their lives or what they desire.

Before the coaching call, I send my clients several worksheets to explore their values, strengths, and desires. 

In the first video of this series, I shared the values worksheet with you, exploring what’s essential to you.

In part 2, you used the strengths worksheet to examine your areas of confidence or the skills you use to overcome challenges.

Last week, in part 3, we examined your desires and what you want more or less of in your life using the Domain Satisfaction Scale.

And, today, in part 4, the last installment in this series, we will examine the info you gathered from vlogs 1, 2, and 3, and we’ll synthesize all of that into your wellness visions. 

The Mayo Clinic Defines a wellness vision as:

‘A compelling statement that describes you at your most actualized self.  It defines what you truly desire and how you live when you're at your most aligned with your values and purpose.  The Vision may include behaviors, actions, strengths, feelings, relationships, or a metaphor or visual image for comparison.  The wellness vision should give you confidence, energy, and authentication in your desired changes.’

Another way you can describe the process of writing out your wellness vision is that you are designing your map.  On the map is an arrow saying, "you are here," just like at the mall!  You discovered where you are by exploring your values, strengths, and current life satisfaction via the Domain Satisfaction Scale. 

 With the next step, creating our wellness vision, you will place an "X" on your map.  That "X" represents your vision, your goals, or your most actualized life.

 Your wellness vision is both an expression of where you are NOW and your desired FUTURE. 

Here is a copy of the handout I supply to my clients, called the Wellness Vision Explanation and Examples:

Examples:

 I am a confident and healthy individual who has personal, physical, and emotional strengths to be a leader among her peers, a mentor and role model to others, a loyal friend, and a loving person who supports her family, friends, and peers through a positive ‘can-do attitude, humor, and positive feedback. I have the energy and confidence to achieve anything physical, emotional, or relational.

I welcome change and strive to try new things, meet new people, and broaden life with new adventures and follies. I have the courage and fortitude to speak my mind, be my true self and be thankful for the differences in others without apologizing for who I am. I recognize my life milestones through personal recognitions, perhaps a tattoo of a Phoenix rising out of the flames or a dolphin, swimming amongst the waves with family and friends. I am STRENGTH!

I am happy & losing weight. It is warm & I am in shorts & a T-shirt & I am on top of the world!

Nothing is going to get me down. I am not turning down engagements because I have no clothes. I can walk to the ramp without being winded. I don’t sweat at the 1st couple of movements or anything! I have a picture of myself at Walt Disney World that describes this!

 I feel my body with energy and health while living life to the fullest with my kids. I am excited about events and the people that I love.

I am a healthy, athletic person who is in control of my nutrition (i.e. making healthy meal choices 75% of the time) and has the energy to stay active physically and socially.

 I am a loving husband who works hard in my profession (to be the best physician I can be and practice the best patient care) and at home (to provide the best environment for my family emotionally, physically, and financially). I am an energetic, patient, and dedicated person who enjoys living a healthy life that incorporates exercise, eating well, and mental challenges.

I am maintaining energy and health by eating my allotment of points each day, exercising 30 minutes 5 days per week, and taking 30 minutes each day for inner thought and reflection. I care about my appearance and choose coordinated outfits appropriate for the occasion or event.

I want to smile, sustain, saunter, and swim toward my golden pond.

I am physically and mentally healthy. I am setting a good example for my grandkids by modeling consistent exercise and am able to maintain 60 minutes of aerobic exercise in a session. I have a stable energy level throughout my day. I am active with my grandkids and I express my love and care for others often. I feel good about myself inside and out. 

I have a healthy family and a healthy lifestyle.
I am active with my family and am not tired
Healthy eating and healthy cooking is just "the way it is"
Being healthy is not an everyday struggle
I am 175 pounds, have an athletic body, and am comfortable in my own skin.
I am working out all of the time and feeling good about it
I have good self-esteem and a sense of self-worth!
I am at a maintenance stage and am feeling happy about getting up every day.

I am independent and secure. I have balance in my life. I am patient and compassionate with others and myself. I am joyful. I feel young.

 I have the energy to make the most of my day by playing with my daughter and taking advantage of social activities. I am excited by change and embrace opportunities for spontaneity. I am eating a well-balanced diet that includes fruits and vegetables and vegetarian dishes. Most of my meals are eaten at home. I am a runner and am looking good in my skin. I am comfortable with my body in any position, whether it be sitting, standing, or walking.

 I am a confident individual who likes who she sees in the mirror. I nourish my body with healthy foods and daily exercise. I discover my potential by working hard and playing hard!

 I have life balance because I am taking time for myself without feeling guilt, getting rest, eating healthier because "I want to", being more active because I enjoy it. All this, so that I am a healthier weight that I am comfortable with, feeling happier, more confident in myself, less stressed, and feeling more energized throughout my whole being.

 Freedom

As you look through these examples, you’ll see a variety of wellness visions.  One is rather complex with several bullet points, and the last one on the list is just one word:  Freedom.  I had a client, who created an excel spreadsheet for his wellness vision.  Yes, I’m sure it wouldn’t surprise you to know he’s a retired engineer!  However, most of my clients create a short paragraph or two that describes them as their best selves.  The point is to create a wellness vision that expresses your unique set of values, strengths, and desires.   

I now invite you to take a break and thoroughly look over the above wellness vision examples.

*******************************************************************

 Welcome back! I’m going to assume you took some time and perused the wellness vision examples. 

 So let me ask you,

 Which visions or excerpts of a vision resonated with you and why?

 When you look at these examples, can you see each person’s values, strengths, and desires reflected in their visions?

 And, lastly, are you chomping at the bit to start your Vision? Or, maybe not!  Maybe you’re feeling somewhat overwhelmed.  If so, I get it, that’s understandable. 

So, if you’re feeling overwhelmed let me walk you through my process on a more detailed level:

After the  90 minute call with my clients, I take all the info we discussed and type up a short, usually 2-page document,  fleshing out  their values,  strengths, and desires or what they specifically want out of coaching, and I create a sample wellness vision for them.  They then take my notes and ideas and either edit my wellness vision or, in some cases, scrap it entirely and start over!

Either way, I urge my clients to create a vision that resonates with them, and then that becomes the foundation for the next three months of our coaching. 

I suggest you review your worksheets from the last few weeks, check the sample visions, and take a stab at writing one for yourself, or if you’re feeling confused, then take that intermediate step of writing up one document that lists your salient values, strengths, and desires before starting your wellness vision. 

In sum,  your wellness vision needs to express your core values, it should inspire you to act, and it should highlight your strengths or how you uniquely will achieve your goals.  Or not, maybe your wellness vision will be as simple as one word, such as authenticity, kindness, or freedom. 

I’m Liz Moser, a Mayo Clinic and National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach, and thank you for reading this  final blog in a 4 part series about creating your wellness visions.  If you have any questions about this blog, about health and wellness, or wellness coaching with me, please reach out via my website at lizmosercoaching.com

Bye for now, and be well,

Liz