How Lighthouses Remind Us to Keep Our Envisioned Future in Mind When We’re Just Starting Out

By Christine Murray

A few weeks back, my son went on a middle school trip to the Outer Banks, and he shared this amazing picture of the Bodie Island lighthouse they visited on this trip. What a shot!

I’ve always thought lighthouses have so much symbolic power. Seeing the photo from my son’s trip got me reflecting on how lighthouses are often beautiful to look at, but their main purpose is full of utilitarian value. If you’re the crew of a ship that is trying to find its destination, especially in the midst of stormy or turbulent conditions, the light provided by a lighthouse could be the one thing that guides you home.

The light of a lighthouse provides direction, clarity, and focus, even if your ship steers off course or needs to first navigate in a different direction before ultimately heading toward your destination. 

My counseling and consulting practice focuses on the theme of “start here” and aims to offer support as people and organizations start and follow through as they move toward changes they would like to see. So, this lighthouse picture was a reminder to me about the importance of keeping our desired future destination in mind, even when we are just starting out.

As a long-time fan of Stephen Covey’s book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, one of my favorite habits is #2: Begin with the End in Mind. A lighthouse is a powerful visual image of the principle behind the habit of beginning with the end in mind. Lighthouses remind us that we are more likely to reach our desired future when we have clear sight of that future vision guiding us along the way.

When you’re setting out on bringing about some change in your life–personally or professionally–try to spend time at the beginning to build as clear of a vision as possible for what you hope to see in the future. You might do this by journaling, taking time for quiet contemplation, doing a vision board, or–if it’s a team-based work project–brainstorming alongside your team. 

Any time you can build a clear, compelling vision for your desired future, you can use that vision to help map your path along the way. But, let’s be honest: Sometimes (if not most of the time) in real life, we may be setting out on a new change and not be totally certain where it’s going to take us. 

I’ve experienced the confusion of new beginnings in different areas of my life, including my personal life and in my career. I’ve had times when I’ve sensed it was time for a change, but I didn’t know exactly where that would lead me. The feeling of needing change but now knowing what kind of change can be very disorienting! 

Even when we’re embarking on a new change, but aren’t sure exactly where it will lead us, the image of a lighthouse offers some comfort. When a ship is far off from the lighthouse, the lighthouse just looks like a faint light in the distance. The ship can move toward the light, without knowing exactly how the lighthouse is going to look when it gets up close. 

If your exact vision for the future isn’t yet clear, you can still think about your guiding light as your values, priorities, or even just the feeling you know you want to have in the future once you’ve made progress toward your desired changes. 

Chances are, you know at least some things that are highly important to you (e.g., that you want to feel at peace, that you hope your relationships are more harmonious, or that your organization is making a bigger impact). These values can serve as your personal lighthouse while you start making decisions and moves to get closer to bringing them to life.

And, keep in mind that the clarity of the lighthouse that’s reflected in the photo from my son’s trip would only be possible once you get closer to your envisioned future. You can trust that, as you make meaningful steps toward the changes you’d like to start, your own vision of how those changes will turn out will become more clear. 

And PS - If you end up not liking the first lighthouse where you end up, remember there are lots of other lighthouses you can explore as well! Growth and change can be an ongoing process, and you can continue to keep sailing until you reach the future that feels just right for you.