When we hear about vision, we often hear the words purpose, dreams, calling, passion and gifts used synonymously. It’s time to clear this up once and for all! There are seven components to vision and understanding each one will help clarify your path.

First, let’s talk about this word “dream” that you have heard so much about and how it fits into vision. While a dream is an important part of the puzzle, it is just the beginning. Dreams open up your imagination and ability for your mind to “see” what it is that you can conceive for your life. Many of us model our dreams after the lives of others. While dreams open the doorway, there are 7 components of vision that are through the door that dreams assist you in opening. Dreams alone will not take you to your promised land. If you’ve been dreaming, it’s time to gain the clarity you need to truly manifest your vision.

Purpose. The first component of vision is purpose. Your purpose tells you the theme of your life; the reason you exist. To uncover your purpose, ask yourself, “If money and time were not an issue, what I would do and If I could make plenty of money any way I chose, what would I do?” Your purpose gives you a general idea and direction to move, but by itself, it is not the whole picture.

Desires of your heart. The second component of vision is the desires of your heart. The desires of your heart go beyond your surface-level dreams to those things you deeply long for, desire and are willing to work for. The desires of your heart compel you in a way that won’t let you go. What do you really want?

Scripture tells you that God will give you the desires of your heart if you put His Kingdom first. While dreams require nothing in particular and may or may not come to pass, desires of your heart require obedience and are part of God’s grace, mercy and blessings that He has in store for you.

Passion. Your passion consists of those things that bring you joy and fulfill you when you are doing them. When you are operating in your passion, you experience a flow and effortlessness that makes it easy to stay the course. When you are passionate you are excited, inspired, motivated, focused, fulfilled, and walking in your greatness. Within your passion lies the clues that will keep you going. What do you love doing? What are you passionate about?

Gifts and talents. The next aspects of vision to talk about are your gifts and talents. Your gifts are those things that just come naturally to you and are not actually taught, they were deposited in you from God. If you did go to school to learn more about them, you probably excelled in them or you were bored because it came so easily to you. Gifts are sometimes challenging to identify because they are such a part of you. What gifts have God bestowed upon you? Hidden in your gifts are the additional clues you need to understand the methods God has given you to make a difference in your area of purpose.

Yet, gifts are only half of this component. The other half of this component is your talent. Your talent consists of those things you are naturally good at, but need to practice developing to perfect. What are you good at, but need to be great at in order to effectively operate in your gifting? Together, your gifts and talents create an additional dimension to understanding your specific Kingdom assignment.

Area of service. Your area of service is the particular target audience or group of people you were put here to serve. Another way to think about your area of service is your special niche. You are a Shepard. When you are a Shepard, your sheep recognize and respond to your voice and call. God has created you to oversee a flock that can only hear your voice. Who is your flock? Are they scattered all over the hillsides waiting for you to live your vision? Are they not being taken care of because you are in fear or are they tied up tending to the daily obligations that fill your calendar, but are not God’s purpose for you? Who were you born to serve? What does your flock need?

Calling. I also refer to your calling as your altitude. Your calling or altitude is the scope of your Kingdom assignment (within your child’s school, the city, state, region, nation or world). Be careful not to confuse your calling with what you think it would be fun to do. Be careful not to covet someone else’s calling. If God did not drop that vision into your spirit, it is not for you. Focus on what God has shown you as your specific role. You will be completely fulfilled carrying out your calling even though others may be doing similar work on a broader scale.

Together, all the 7 components of vision should assist you in clarifying the full picture of what you were born to do. Please take some time to get clear about it because it holds the power to change the course of the rest of your life. With all 7 components, you now have all of the tools you need to take the steps toward making your vision a reality.