VISION. It’s a word that gets said so much nowadays, that it’s almost generic and homogenous. Yet, it’s an important vehicle for making YOUR life what it was truly meant to be. Do you have a vision? Do you even really know how to get one?
“Vision” really just means having the ‘ability to see.’ It doesn’t mean you have to see clearly, it just means you can see something.
VISION IS SIMPLY, “A FUTURE YOU BUILD TOWARDS TODAY.”
So, what do you see? Do you see yourself as a normal “joe” who has a job and a car and a place to live, buys a 12 pack on Friday evening – then tack on some kids and spouse? Or do you see yourself as someone with a purpose and a responsibility to all that surrounds you and comes into your life? Do you realize the profound effect you can have on those whom you know as well as on those who are strangers? That kind or cruel word to your loved one or clerk at the store; the smile or frown to your co-worker or a passerby; the voice tone on the phone to sibling or a salesperson. These are the true seeds of vision and it has no respect of positive or negative direction. Keep in mind that Hitler and Martin Luther King both had vision! I personally like to start with a positive idea or ‘dream I dare to dream’. I think the bigger the better because it forces you to do more initially to show any progress. Maybe you should start out with just making some decisions like “watch 3 hours less of TV each day” or “exercise for 1 hour, 4 days a week” or “take an English course so I can write and communicate better”. Maybe you want to get more computer savvy? Get up and drive down to the bookstore and buy some books on it! These are simple moves you can make now that WILL propel you towards a new vision. Out with the old, in with the new.
FIRST, JUST FILTER OUT THE CRAP
It may take a while for you to get a more clear vision of what you see your life becoming but first, just filter out the crap (a bad job, unhealthy relationships, crippling mindsets, bad habits) you know is not helping you. You MUST make many little decisions along the path to your vision and they can be very scary to make. Yet, this practice is the start of it all.
DO THE FANTASTIC
To this day, I hear many people say, “You are a fantastic pianist. I sure wish I would have stayed with my piano lessons so I could play piano like you.” I always state back, “You’re not dead yet.” The fact is, I wasn’t born playing as I do. It took hours of practice and commitment every day for years, sometimes to the point that I’d have to put tape on the ends of my thumbs because they started to get raw around the fingernails from hours of pounding! Past that, I studied and read music books, hung out at music stores, devoured music magazines, I felt despair, experienced elation, won and lost piano competitions, learned from good teachers and quit on bad ones. If you really want something fantastic – you HAVE TO DO FANTASTIC THINGS! Many will be things you don’t want to do…at first.
BUILD IN SAFEGUARDS FOR THE HARD TIMES THAT WILL COME
Once you start progressing towards your life vision is, you must build in ’safegaurds’ that will keep you on the path. As we progress towards our vision, there will be MANY times of discouragement and hopelessness. This is good! It means what you’re embarking upon is a true prize – and a prize means it needs to be won. It needs to be earned. Anything that is won or earned seems to involve some pain, sweat, discouragement, fear and loss. Because of these seemingly negative experiences along the path, many people give up and go back to the normal. You must put safeguards in your life that will help you along the way such as healthy friends and relationships, little “sayings of truth” that you put around you to help encourage you, join associations and support groups, join a church or spiritual group, go to special events pertaining to your vision that will inspire you. I used to listen to great music and see great musicians in concert – I’d come back from the concert and play the entire next day! Those types of safeguards and practices would inspire me and keep me on the path.
I GUARANTEE
If you start making little decisions like I mentioned above, your life will start to change. It will. It’s a universal principle and is the formula for success. It’s the only one I know without a doubt to be true because it is rooted in creation. You are creating your destiny. Go make a good one.
