What is Personal Vision?
When one of our families was enrolled into our FamilyOS by their financial advisor, they admitted they had been putting off estate planning for years. “It just felt too big,” they said.
Fifteen minutes later, they had completed their Values, Purpose, and Roles with the software’s guidance — and were feeling clearer and more energized than they expected.
Personal Vision is one of the very first exercises you complete when you log into Total Family’s FamilyOS. It takes about ten to fifteen minutes and sets the stage for everything you’ll do in the platform—especially legacy planning and values-based decision-making.
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How It Works Inside our FamilyOS
The purpose of Personal Vision is not to arrive at a perfect answer. It’s simply to get started. In family legacy work, the hardest part is often taking the first step. Personal Vision is that first step.
Values, Purpose, and Roles: A Closer Look
Personal Vision is a series of self-reflective questions organized into three areas: Values, Purpose, and Roles.
Values are what matter most to you. In the exercise, you start with a list of seventy-two values. You narrow that list to your top fifteen and then down to your top five. These Values are personal. They are not for anyone else’s approval and you can always go back and revise them as life changes.
Purpose is your North Star. It is the “why” behind what you do and the thing that will keep you moving forward. Purpose is meant to be broad and aspirational. After answering a set of questions, you will craft a short Purpose Statement that captures what drives you.
Roles are the different priorities and areas of your life. They might include spouse, parent, friend, career, volunteer, or other commitments. For each Role, you define what success looks like. This gives you language for talking about the many responsibilities you balance across family, career, and life.
Why Personal Vision Matters
Personal Vision creates clarity—about who you are, what you care about, and how you spend your time.
That clarity makes family conversations more meaningful and reduces misunderstandings. And gives advisors a clearer picture of what truly matters to you.
It also becomes the foundation for building a Shared Family Vision—the collective agreement around what matters most to your family as a whole.
What Happens Next?
At the end of the exercise, you can invite your spouse or partner to complete their own Personal Vision. Do it right away while the process is fresh in your mind.
It is a simple way to start an important conversation, and the first step toward building a shared Family Vision together.
