Walt Disney had one.
Martin Luther King had one.
Bill Gates had one.
Michelangelo had one.
Just about every true leader or innovator had one.
They all had a vision of what they wanted to achieve. And history shows the results.
What exactly is a "vision", and how important is it? The term vision is often used loosely to mean a statement or mental image to guide an individual or group in a certain direction. Companies have their corporate vision. Leaders have a vision to help inspire and lead the team. An individual person can have a vision of something they want to achieve in their life.
To me a vision, not to be confused with a goal, is very simple. A goal defines where you want to go. A vision is what it looks like. It's a picture of your destination, either in your mind, or in some other form.
Whether your goal is to get a job, increase sales, run a successful meeting, cook dinner, organize your office, wash the car, or anything else, it is possible to visualize the outcome. When you have that picture of whatever you're trying to accomplish, you have a vision.
How important is it to have a vision of your goal?
Suppose you're putting together a jigsaw puzzle. Imagine that there's no picture on the box. How difficult would it be then? You'd might get it done eventually, if you had enough patience, but it would take a very long time.
Or imagine a builder building a house. He knows it's supposed to have three bedrooms and two bathrooms. But there are no blueprints. Would it be possible to build that house without the diagrams? Even if he did succeed, would you trust that the house would stand and be useable?
A leader has a vision, otherwise how could he/she lead the team to the desired goal? The vision inspires the leader, who then inspires the troops, to keep going when things get rough or unclear. Without a vision, it can be pretty hopeless. And the people may even perish.
Visioning is an important aspect of creative thinking. Creative thinking is not only coming up with a new idea; it's also developing that idea into a full picture. Visioning or visualizing is using the mind to create an image beyond what you see right in front of you. Your eyes might see a pile of wood, but your mind constructs a finished piece of furniture. Visioning is the artist and craftsperson of your mind.
Visioning isn't just idealistic thinking. It's very practical and useful. What do you want to do, be, change, accomplish? Find a new job, write a book or article, plan a wedding, grow your business to a new level of success? Then you can definitely benefit by having a vision of that project or thing you want.
For simple goals, you can often find your way as you go. It's only necessary to see the next step. But for bigger or challenging goals, having a vision of the end result makes a big difference.
I believe that a vision is extremely important to success. And yet most people put little effort and attention on developing a vision. If they have any vision at all, it is usually vague, unfocused, and weak.
There are ways to make a vision more powerful. The difference between having no vision, a weak vision, and a powerful vision is like driving at night with no road sign, a sign that's faded and hard to read, and a sign that's clear and lit up. Which scenario would you prefer?
When I've worked with clients on their visions, both I and the client are amazed at what we come up with. And that's just the first step on the journey.
Here's what having a vision will do for you:
I'd like to help you get started!
I'm offering a teleclass series (class by telephone) for those of you who want to develop and strengthen your visions. There is room for only 12 people. The series is called Visioning Lab. We'll work on your visions and do visioning exercises. Please come knowing something you want. You don't need to have the vision of it just yet (but if you do, that's great). It's OK if it's not entirely clear; we'll work on that. But it must be something you definitely want. It could be for yourself, your business, or your community - something that you're a part of.
Visioning Lab will be an ongoing weekly series, and there will be a fee to join, but the first teleclass is free! So take advantage of it. The first Visioning Lab class will be Tuesday October 13 at 8:00 pm Eastern time, for 1 hour. You must contact me joel@coachjoel.com or 973-701-1007 to register for this initial teleclass, and there is no obligation to continue.
Most people go ahead with no vision or a very vague vision. Do you want to reach your goals quickly and with certainty? Then create your vision to guide you! I'll show you how to add power to your vision and perhaps expand it, too, in Visioning Lab.
Martin Luther King had one.
Bill Gates had one.
Michelangelo had one.
Just about every true leader or innovator had one.
They all had a vision of what they wanted to achieve. And history shows the results.
What exactly is a "vision", and how important is it? The term vision is often used loosely to mean a statement or mental image to guide an individual or group in a certain direction. Companies have their corporate vision. Leaders have a vision to help inspire and lead the team. An individual person can have a vision of something they want to achieve in their life.
To me a vision, not to be confused with a goal, is very simple. A goal defines where you want to go. A vision is what it looks like. It's a picture of your destination, either in your mind, or in some other form.
Whether your goal is to get a job, increase sales, run a successful meeting, cook dinner, organize your office, wash the car, or anything else, it is possible to visualize the outcome. When you have that picture of whatever you're trying to accomplish, you have a vision.
How important is it to have a vision of your goal?
Suppose you're putting together a jigsaw puzzle. Imagine that there's no picture on the box. How difficult would it be then? You'd might get it done eventually, if you had enough patience, but it would take a very long time.
Or imagine a builder building a house. He knows it's supposed to have three bedrooms and two bathrooms. But there are no blueprints. Would it be possible to build that house without the diagrams? Even if he did succeed, would you trust that the house would stand and be useable?
A leader has a vision, otherwise how could he/she lead the team to the desired goal? The vision inspires the leader, who then inspires the troops, to keep going when things get rough or unclear. Without a vision, it can be pretty hopeless. And the people may even perish.
Visioning is an important aspect of creative thinking. Creative thinking is not only coming up with a new idea; it's also developing that idea into a full picture. Visioning or visualizing is using the mind to create an image beyond what you see right in front of you. Your eyes might see a pile of wood, but your mind constructs a finished piece of furniture. Visioning is the artist and craftsperson of your mind.
Visioning isn't just idealistic thinking. It's very practical and useful. What do you want to do, be, change, accomplish? Find a new job, write a book or article, plan a wedding, grow your business to a new level of success? Then you can definitely benefit by having a vision of that project or thing you want.
For simple goals, you can often find your way as you go. It's only necessary to see the next step. But for bigger or challenging goals, having a vision of the end result makes a big difference.
I believe that a vision is extremely important to success. And yet most people put little effort and attention on developing a vision. If they have any vision at all, it is usually vague, unfocused, and weak.
There are ways to make a vision more powerful. The difference between having no vision, a weak vision, and a powerful vision is like driving at night with no road sign, a sign that's faded and hard to read, and a sign that's clear and lit up. Which scenario would you prefer?
When I've worked with clients on their visions, both I and the client are amazed at what we come up with. And that's just the first step on the journey.
Here's what having a vision will do for you:
- A vision gives you clarity. That ensures that you know where you're going and taking the right steps to get there.
- Your vision lets you know when you're on track or off track. We all know how easy it is to get distracted.
- The vision inspires you and is a powerful motivator. This is especially important when the going gets rough or if you should start to lose hope. Come back to your vision!
- Your mind is your private workshop. You can work on your vision, add to it, refine it, until it's what you really, really want.
- You can test alternatives and details in your mind before committing to them in practice, saving valuable resources. When it looks right and feels right, then go for it.
- A clear vision makes it much easier to communicate your ideas to others, especially those whom you're working with to make it happen.
- A vision helps you align your thoughts toward your desire. When thoughts (and feelings) are aligned, they have energy, and that attracts people, situations, etc. that are also aligned with your vision. That's how to make the Law of Attraction work for you!
- Using your mind to create visions is an excellent mental exercise. It develops your ability to use your imagination, and become a better creative thinker.
I'd like to help you get started!
I'm offering a teleclass series (class by telephone) for those of you who want to develop and strengthen your visions. There is room for only 12 people. The series is called Visioning Lab. We'll work on your visions and do visioning exercises. Please come knowing something you want. You don't need to have the vision of it just yet (but if you do, that's great). It's OK if it's not entirely clear; we'll work on that. But it must be something you definitely want. It could be for yourself, your business, or your community - something that you're a part of.
Visioning Lab will be an ongoing weekly series, and there will be a fee to join, but the first teleclass is free! So take advantage of it. The first Visioning Lab class will be Tuesday October 13 at 8:00 pm Eastern time, for 1 hour. You must contact me joel@coachjoel.com or 973-701-1007 to register for this initial teleclass, and there is no obligation to continue.
Most people go ahead with no vision or a very vague vision. Do you want to reach your goals quickly and with certainty? Then create your vision to guide you! I'll show you how to add power to your vision and perhaps expand it, too, in Visioning Lab.
The book "ZenGolf" is a great read for "visioning and understanding same" and it applies to us all, not just those that play golf. Its well worth reading.
Posted by: Peter Borkoski | 10/08/2009 at 09:05 AM