Paint a Picture of Your Future (and Make It Real)

Time moves fast. Without direction, we often end up in places we never wanted to be — the wrong company, the wrong role, even becoming the kind of person we didn’t want to become.

That’s why I use a simple but powerful tool: the Painted Picture.

For an article on how to use this same concept for your business, see here.

It’s not about grabbing paints and brushes (though you could). It’s about sitting down with a piece of paper and describing, in detail, what your life looks like 10 years from now.

  • Who do you want to become?
  • What do you want to have achieved?
  • Who do you want to help?

This becomes your True North — a decision-making tool you can use every day:

“Is what I’m about to do helping me move closer to that vision?”

In this post I will share examples of personal painted pictures, plus the 1 and 5 year goal setting method I use. It's the same one I use in work too 😄

Watch the video, or read on for more details

Example Painted Picture

Here’s a sample:

“I am strong and fit and have a routine that keeps me healthy so I can play with my kids. I have written and self-published my first book. I work as a manager in a high-tech company and still have plenty of time for my family. I meditate daily, journal regularly, and show up calm and confident around my kids. I’ve learned how to give great presentations at conferences. I read widely, manage my finances well, and save 15% of my income to pay off my mortgage early.”

It doesn’t have to be outrageous or world-dominating. It just has to be meaningful to you.

Step 1: Set 5-Year Goals

Once you have your 10-year picture, work backwards. What milestones would show you’re on the right track five years from now?

From the example above, some 5-year goals might be:

  • Be a regular presenter at Toastmasters.
  • Have the skills to be recognised as a good manager.
  • Meditate daily, tracked in a habit app.
  • Save 10% of income with an automated transfer.
  • Have a book published.
  • Follow a weekly workout routine.

Notice how each goal is measurable and time-bound.

Step 2: Set 1-Year Goals

Now go smaller. What can you do in the next 12 months that leads into those 5-year goals?

  • Join a Toastmasters group and attend regularly.
  • Talk to your manager about your career path.
  • Meditate for just one minute a day.
  • Start saving 5% of income.
  • Outline your book and put it on the wall.
  • Wake up 15 minutes earlier to write.
  • Begin a simple, consistent workout routine.

These are small, achievable actions that build momentum.

Step 3: Focus on Habits, Not Outcomes

Here’s the key: fall in love with the process, not the outcome.

When I used to set weight-loss goals, I’d choose an arbitrary number — like 180 lbs — and stress about reaching it. But the truth is, outcomes are often outside our control. What we can control is the routine: eating well, exercising, building healthy habits.

Over time, those habits compound. And the results take care of themselves.

The Big Picture

So here’s the formula I use — and teach my kids (often in between kicking a ball around the garden):

  1. Paint your 10-year picture – your True North.
  2. Break it down into 5-year goals – measurable milestones.
  3. Break those into 1-year actions – small, achievable steps.
  4. Fall in love with the routine – because habits work a treat.
  5. Start today – tiny steps compound into a meaningful future.

Your Painted Picture doesn’t guarantee success. But without one, you’re far more likely to drift into a future you never wanted.

So grab a sheet of paper. Write in the present tense. And start painting.

✨ That way, in 10 years’ time, you’ll look back and realise: this is exactly the life I built on purpose.

The link has been copied!