“Post-pandemic we have re-evaluated what’s most important to us and what we want for ourselves, our families and our careers. A Vision Day uses coaching and thought-provoking exercises to uncover what you really want and put a plan in place to make that happen!”
– Jules Randall, leadership and performance coach
I’m sat at my dining room table fighting the urge to keep scribbling in my journal. It’s hard to stop. Buzzing from a morning well spent, thoughts are pouring out of my brain onto paper and some of them seem worth remembering. Some of them are the beginnings of answers to important questions I’ve been asking myself for years. Of course, this rich download of reflections and insights was not born out of nothing.
I’ve just returned home from my “vision day”. If you’ve no idea what I’m referring to or are imagining me sat in a tent with a Mystic Meg type fortune teller, bear with me. There was nothing woo woo about it.
The vision day consisted of four hours (usually six) of exercises with coach Jules Randall; reflecting, brainstorming, planning, and so much more.
A morning tailored to my specific needs, Jules had sent over a thorough strengths survey and thought-provoking questionnaire for me to complete in advance. Both of which I actually quite enjoyed filling in. It’s not often someone asks: “What would you do if you knew you couldn’t fail?”. I love anything that forces me to think a little differently, which happened a lot during my vision day.
After tea was served and we’d made ourselves comfortable, Jules kicked off the session by asking me to tell my story so far, where I was now, and what I wanted for the future.
“You can talk about any past achievements and things you’d like to do in the future…” she said.
As someone who is constantly reflecting on their past, this came quite easily to me. I described key moments from my past, big life events and things I felt most proud of, then outlined some career-related hopes for the future.
It felt good to tell another soul of these hopes, making them feel somehow less ridiculous and more tangible. Similarly, reflecting on past achievements was a boost; acknowledging how far I’ve come and the bumpy road to get here.
Jules made notes and offered insightful observations; a trained outsider’s perspective can be hugely helpful in noticing patterns of behaviour, periods of self-sabotage and when things were going well in a person’s life versus not so well and why. Some limiting beliefs were picked up on, which we discussed and made a note to come back to.
Next came a short drawing stint. Sharpie in hand, I was to illustrate my past, present and future in five minutes, with an A4 page for each time-frame. Lots of stick people and squares with triangles on top (houses) ensued. I loved this exercise, the brief time limit meant there was no time to over-think any of it, so I simply had to go ahead and draw whatever came to mind first, which was quite telling.
We talked through the end results and yet more negative beliefs rose to the surface; only to be swiftly challenged by Jules.
After a short break it was time to come up with my three “power questions” which would summarise the most important areas of my life that required attention. (In my case, my career.)
Many post-it notes and lots of discussion later, I had my questions. One was more action-based, another more belief-focused.
Answering them was the obvious next step, which is where the results of my strengths survey came into play. We worked together to generate answers, referring back to my top strengths and how they might influence things. By the end I had several clear action points. I found the whole process fascinating.
Now it was time for some shut-eye. Sort of. A visualisation exercise that left me feeling a little emotional, in a good way.
“What did you take from that?” Jules asked when it was over.
“Perspective. A lot of perspective…”. I replied, still in awe that a straightforward visualisation could be so moving. We talked through the other messages that came up and I noted down several insights. What came through were what exactly my biggest priorities in life were, and how my choices reflected those priorities. It helped me get clear on what exactly I wanted from life. Again, a powerful exercise.
The vision day was just that; coming up with a vision so alluring you actually feel compelled to go and take action towards it. Jules was a grounding presence throughout, guiding me through each exercise with a knowing smile and sensitivity. With a firm yet gentle approach, she created a safe space where I felt comfortable sharing my thoughts, feelings and experiences.
A colourful session packed with an array of activities, I left feeling empowered, motivated and very much ready to take action. Which is a good thing, given I have a follow-up with Jules in a fortnight where she’ll be checking in on my progress. Best get to work.
“A Vision Day is for anyone wanting to clarify what they want, what’s getting in their way and how to overcome that.”
– Jules Randall, leadership and performance coach
For more information contact: hello@etultra.com
The Colourful Kind 