I refer here not to "the end" in the sense that something stops, but "the end" in the sense of a destination or ideal. Who do you want to be today, tomorrow, and throughout the lifetime with which you are gifted?
What is your ideal of physical well-being? What health and fitness factors are most important to you? How do you want to relate with food and drink? What cycles of physical activity, rest, and recovery sustain your physical energy without over- or under-doing it? Who are your wellness partners and what roles do they play?
Take a look at the emotional realm. How do you want to relate to those others in your life who mean the most? What inner and outer resources help you maintain personal commitments through bumpy times? How do you want to blend and balance solitude with social connections from day to day?
What are your goals for mental creativity and clear perspective? How do you want to foster a life-long approach to learning new skills, gaining new insights, and exploring new ideas?
Finally, what makes your life worthwhile? What fuels your soul to wake up every day with a sense of purpose and intent? What does spirituality mean for you?
The answers to these and similar questions collectively represent your personal vision of health and happiness. If you developed a personal vision statement back in January or February, pull it out now and look it over. If not, start fresh now.
Back then, I suggested that you frame the vision in terms of a year in the future. Today, I encourage you to step back and take a different view by developing a "timeless" vision. "Who I want to be" is not about the future, so much as it is about the quality of any given present moment.
While the habits we develop tend to lead us toward or away from ideals over time, the deeper focus of vision is always on the now. And now. And now. It is recognizing the power of each thought we entertain, choice we make, action we take as it arises, then gives way to the next.
