It’s December, and that means its time for me to reflect on the past year as part of a larger process that I’ve put together over the years. This begins with reviewing the vision I’ve created for my own life. A vision that’s formed by answering this single question:

What is the greatest self that I can possibly imaginable?

The answer to this is only constrained by the imagination. And it is a question that I revisit each year, as my self-vision is not meant to be static.

Cappadocia, Turkey - October 2013

As uncomfortable as it is to share my own vision of who I am publicly, I know that you might be able to benefit from learning what has been most advantageous to me. So here is what I wrote at the start of 2014, word for word:

My Greatest Self Imaginable

I’m a man of passion. I’m courageous, confident, and understand that there is no way for me to fail in life. I have a sharp focus on what’s important to me—thus, important to life itself. This means that I am mindful of how I treat my body; how I nurture my mind; and of how I connect with the people in my life.

I eat well and stay immensely fit. I’m charming, respectful, and I’m attentive to the woman that I love. I’m also open and honest. I tell those who I love and care for, how I feel—the positive and even that which I may think they will not want to hear. I’m adventurous. My continuous travel around the world for well over a year, will not be the peak of my experiences. I’ll continue to rock climb, scuba dive, and try new activities that both energize and bring balance to my life. I won’t behave perfectly, and during imperfect times, I’ll strive to treat myself no harsher than I would others in my own predicament.

I meditate, to better handle the ever changing emotions in life. There are also other activities that bring peace to me: quality time with those I love; reading; writing; and cooking.

I’m an accomplished writer and world street photographer. Author of books that impact the lives of others. I make sure to often step out of my comfort zone, but when doing so, I take care to avoid burning myself out. I’m fluent in both French and Spanish. I joke and tell stories in 3 languages.

I’m careful with my finances. I give what I can, save for the future, and I’m not ashamed to enjoy the money that I can spend. Most of my income comes from my own business–products I have both built myself and jointly with others. I only work on that which I have a passion for.

I do not allow my fears to drive me off the course I seek to travel in life. I live neither with scarcity or abundance. I live knowing I have enough; enough money, friends, success, worthiness, and love. My ultimate goal is continued and unending growth. To help others rise with me—reaching further towards their own potential. I’ll do this through writing, discussions, travel, and by being my true self.

“My Greatest Self” is an incredible creative process, and it has allowed me to embody much of the life that I once dreamed for. In fact, the person I am today is far beyond my imagination of 5 years ago. Becoming a world traveler was my biggest aspiration in 2011. Today, and more than 30 countries later, I’am writing this on a flight from California to Virginia to visit my best friend. And this is before I set off to South East Asia for the first half of 2015.

My next step is to complete my “annual review”, which is something I took from Chris Guillabeau of Art of Non-Conformity. The annual review is a product of two additional questions: “What went well this past year?”, followed by “What didn’t go well?” The answers to follow will greatly influence how I reimagine myself once again.

But here’s my challenge for you; take the time to describe the greatest and grandest version of yourself imaginable. Don’t be afraid to get as specific as possible. Then review this vision of yourself at the start of every month for the next year. Just by doing those 2 things alone, you could find yourself living beyond your imagination.