My college roommate traveled to Japan for the first semester of our senior year. When she came back one of the souvenirs she gave me was a Japanese Wishing Doll or a Daruma Doll. As she gave it to me she shared with me the story. “Fill in one eye and make a wish, when the wish comes true fill in the other eye.” At the time I was thinking about graduating from college, becoming an adult (whatever that means), and made a wish, a long term, big life wish and drew in the eye of my doll. Everyday, when I put on my jewelry or get dressed there is my little doll on my dresser starring at me and asking me “what have you done to live this life today?”
As a senior in college, BigLifeVision was a part of my life, I just didn’t call it that yet. What do you call it?
Call it whatever you want: Vision, Vision Statement, Life Goals, Mission Statement, Vision Board, Daruma Wishing Doll….
It doesn’t matter what you call it, it matters if you have it and what you do with it. For some the word vision will create cynical eye-rolls and for some it will feel right. Both responses are perfect. As you think about vision and living personal mastery, worry less about the terms and more about the outcome. What are you trying to create for yourself? Why are you here?
As an idealistic 21-year-old I painted that eye and asked to live a fulfilled life. By my late 20s I considered painting on the other eye. I was married and had 2 children, 2 dogs and a suburban home and a nice job. Isn’t that fulfillment? Something stopped me.
In my 30s I considered painting on that other eye. I had a growing career, two growing young men, 2 more dogs, a husband. Wasn’t I living the dream? But still, something stopped me.
As I approached my 40s I asked myself what was stopping me, the answer came to me as a surprise: “there is more.” What, there is more? How could that be? But, in truth I found relief in the answer because I desperately wanted more and I desperately wanted to show my sons that life has limitless opportunities. And in that time, in answering that question I gave myself permission to want more.
The minute I opened myself up to the possibility of more, the world opened up to me in surprising ways. I 
made some difficult life choices like getting divorced. I started looking for ways to expand my life; I traveled to France for the first time, I starting thinking about my career, and I met some amazing new friends and colleagues outside of the American Cancer Society. My life got bigger, got richer and it turns out that push from that doll was right, there was more.
Eventually, I connected my vision statement, which I had been polishing, with that little doll sitting on my dresser and I began to live each day with my vision in mind.
I’ve stopped asking myself, should I color in the eye of the doll. I know the answer, keep living that big life. Coloring in the eye might be one of the last things I do in this world, with a satisfying smile on my face (hopefully when I am 110), knowing that the little doll pushed me just about every day to live my BigLIfeVision.
So call it whatever you want, but have it and live it BIG in your life. What’s your Vision??