Ever run into a problem or barrier that won't go away, or leaves you feeling powerless? Read on to find out why creating a strong vision is critical to success.
One of the most powerful yet under-utilized success tools at our disposal, is our ability to declare a future that's better than today, in such a way that it leaves people touched, moved, and inspired - to where they want to be a part of bringing that future into a reality.
Some example's are:
“Accelerate the advent of sustainable transport by bringing mass market electric cars to market as soon as possible.” - Tesla
“To enable economic growth through infrastructure and energy development, and to provide solutions that support communities and protect the planet.” - CAT
“To create an efficient world-class education system that engages and prepares all students to be globally competitive for college and careers.” - Florida Department of Education
“To make people happy.” - Disney
“Helping content creators around the world to find a global audience.” - Netflix
“To establish Starbucks as the most recognized and respected brand in the world.” - Starbucks
Creating a strong vision that people can get behind doesn't have to be a lofty goal like Tesla's, although it is a great example of declaring the possibility of a better future that wasn't thought to be possible before.
Disney's vision "To make people happy" is simple, yet is also inspiring. It's not "to make most people happy" or "to make people who go to Disney happy". There are no limitations in this simple vision statement, "to make people happy". They are up to making everyone happy. Not a simple feat, but worth getting behind.
So why is vision so important to overcoming obstacles? Because it's your reason for doing what you are doing. It's your guiding light that keeps you fuelled and focused on what matters to you, and to those who have bought into the vision.
POSSIBILITY vs. OPPORTUNITY
Vision is all about creating the "what's possible" for yourself, your business, your family, or even the world. But because it's a future based activity, meaning we do not see any immediate or tangible results directly from the activity, very little effort goes into generating a good vision.
Even when engaged in a vision creating exercise, most leaders find themselves considering opportunities over possibilities, which constrains or limits the vision from becoming more than what it could.
Generating vision from a place of opportunities allows reasons, circumstances, and conditions to be considered into whether a vision is achievable or not. The economy, knowledge, competition, and past experiences are all examples of what occurs to us as obstacles, but within the considering of them being obstacles, limits what's possible for your vision and limits your power in taking action on your vision.
Consider if Thomas Edison, one of the greatest inventors & scientists of his time, generated his vision from opportunity? It's possible that the incandescent light bulb wouldn't have been created. As a vision generated from opportunity doesn't last through a 1,000 failed experiments; However, a vision generated from possibility does.
Thomas Edison, one of the greatest inventors & scientists of his time, was said to have failed more than 1,000 times before creating the incandescent light bulb. It's possible that if his vision was generated from opportunity, instead of possibility, his actions would not have had the power to move through over 1,000 reasons, circumstances, or conditions for why the incandescent light bulb wouldn't work.
Opportunities lack depth & distance, because they are focused on what's already occurring within your life, in your business, or in the world. When people see "opportunities", it's usually in the space of doing something more or better than what's already being done. Possibilities consider a vision without considerations.
In 1962, President John F. Kennedy announced that the US "should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth". In 1962, the technology required to put a man on the moon did not exist. So not only was the vision to put a man on the moon within the next 8 years, but the technology to do so also needed to be created. This was not a vision that was a little more or better than putting a human in space, but was a completely new possibility which was seemingly impossible at the time.
CREATING A POWERFUL VISION
Now that we've reviewed the distinct importance of generating a vision from possibility, so that the possibility is free from constraints and limitations, let's now review a few key tips on creating a powerful vision which can propel you into action:
1) A default condition of the human mind is to resign (move away from) situations and actions which make us uncomfortable, so as you begin to engage in considering "what's possible" for you and your life, you will likely experiencing self-limiting thoughts beginning to emerge in order to "protect" you from feeling uncomfortable. Recognize that this is true for everyone, and is not a representation of what is possible for you. To move through this, it can be helpful to begin thinking of possibilities for you as if you were a different you. A You free from any limitations (i.e. if you had all the knowledge, money, skills, etc. needed to do 'X').
2) Close your eyes and begin to allow your mind to wonder what it would be like to be free of all the limitations you currently deal with. What would you be up to? How would you be doing things? What actions would be taking?
3) Now, what is that version of you doing 10 years from now. What has been accomplished, and what positive impact did you create for yourself and others? Begin searching for what makes you feel alive, which is likely to occur for you as feeling excited, happy, nervous, or even as uncomfortable. The key here is curiosity, so don't try and force or dismiss anything that is or is not emerging for you. Just pay attention to what begins to come up.
4) As you explore these different possibilities for yourself, you will begin to discover that certain "futures" make you feel more alive than others. Whether it is starting a non-profit or for profit business, making a shift in your health & wellbeing, becoming more financially secure, or just travelling more, feeling alive when taking action towards making that vision for yourself a reality will keep you moving forward through life's obstacles with velocity.
CONCLUSION
Generating a powerful vision can take some practice, as we constantly get bombarded with what is & isn't possible most of our life. Unknowingly, we use all the reasons, circumstances, and conditions that we are convinced live in the world, to construct a "box of possibilities" from which we operate in. This box represents the limitations and constraints that we impose on ourselves, or that which we allow others to impose on us.
However, this box is really the "box of opportunities". All that we believe we know to be true and achievable, and what we believe we know to be unachievable.
Possibilities exist outside the box, not in it. But because we've spent so much time in the box, it will take practice to get back to a place where you were not limited or constrained in what you could do or become. It is in this space where we feel alive.
So get at it, and create that vision for you and your life that makes you unstoppable.
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