What's Your Vision for the World? And Why It Matters to Your Career
- Rhonda Douglas Charles
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
During discovery calls, I often ask a question that sounds simple but rarely gets a quick answer:
What is your vision for the world?
Most people pause. Some laugh. Others admit they have never been asked.
That response tells me a lot.
Most of us were taught to focus on getting by, not imagining what could be better. Especially for first-generation professionals, the message was often clear: be practical. Be grateful. Stay employed. Do not take unnecessary risks.
But careers are not built only on survival. They are shaped by intention.
What a Personal Vision Really Is
A personal vision is not a job title or a five-year plan. It is not corporate language or a branding exercise.
A personal vision is a clear picture of the world you want to help create and the role you choose to play in it.
It acts like a compass. Even when roles change or life takes an unexpected turn, your direction stays steady.
When you know what you are moving toward, decisions become easier. Opportunities become clearer. Detours make more sense.
Why So Many People Get Stuck
When clients struggle with this question, it is not because they lack ambition or intelligence.
It is usually because no one gave them permission to think beyond survival.
Vision lives in the patterns you notice: the workplace frustrations that will not let you go, the people you instinctively protect, the systems you believe should not be this broken, the moments when you feel most useful or alive.
Your vision is often hiding in plain sight.
My Own Vision
For me, clarity came from lived experience.
My vision is a world where first-generation professionals are not stuck in survival jobs, but are supported in building thriving careers. I do my part through AdnohrDocs by helping people gain clarity, position their experience with dignity, and make career moves rooted in strategy rather than fear.
That vision guides everything I do. The clients I serve. The questions I ask. The way I coach.
Your vision does not have to be this big or public. It just has to be honest.
The Part Most People Miss
One thing I have found is that even when a client’s vision seems unrelated to their current role or industry, it is often the anchor of their personal brand.
That vision becomes the foundation of their unique value. It shapes how they think, how they communicate, and how they show up at work.
In a sea of qualified candidates applying for similar roles, it is rarely skills alone that make someone stand out. It is clarity. Perspective. A point of view shaped by what they care about and how they see the world.
When we get clarity on a client’s vision, their resume gains direction. Their interview answers gain coherence. Their LinkedIn profile stops sounding generic.
What once felt “unrelated” becomes the very thing that differentiates them.
A Simple Way to Start
If “vision for the world” feels too abstract, try this instead:
What problem do you wish someone would take seriously? Who benefits when you are at your best? What would be different if your career actually worked, for you and for the people your work touches?
Even one clear sentence is enough to begin.
If structure helps, try this format:
I envision a world where ________ and I contribute by ________ so that ________.
Messy answers are welcome.
Why This Matters for Your Career
Your vision is not philosophical. It is practical.
It helps you filter roles and industries that drain you, make sense of career pivots, tell more grounded stories in interviews, and decide when to say yes and when to walk away.
Without vision, job searches become reactive. With vision, they become selective.
A Closing Reflection
You are not being asked to predict the future. You are being asked to name what you care about.
Before your next career decision, sit with this question:
If my career actually worked, what would be different for me and for the people my work touches?
That answer is enough to get you moving in the right direction.
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