“A skilled, blindfolded archer rarely hits the target. Even the most skilled archer in the world, with no target, finds it impossible to hit the bull’s eye.” Knowing what you hope to accomplish gives you a target to shoot for.
Cliché as it is, the adage “don’t miss the forest for the trees” it provides a model for understanding and appreciating the importance of the big picture. Don’t lose sight of the big picture to a myopic focus on the details of small, isolated, and often unpredictable sections of what, in its entirety, is your life’s masterpiece. Having a vision for each of pillars of your life is fundamental to mapping out your success within each area.
This vision allows you to create the connecting arches between the pillars of an integrated and exponentially powerful life. This is, after all, your opus—the expression of your purpose in being here in the first place and your gratitude for the opportunity and trust to fulfill it.
Normally, when I see problems caused by a lack of vision, I am working with small- business entrepreneurs. They’re working in their current business, but not achieving their goals.
I have the person I’m working with grab a piece of paper and pen. I recommend you do the same. Then I ask these three big picture questions:
What are your goals? (What are you trying to accomplish?)
Where do you see yourself in the present?
Where do you see yourself in the future?
These questions are so basic as to seem trivial, but your reflective response to them is foundational to every choice you will make going forward. Your choices, as we all know, will determine your destiny. The calling here is to go deeper after every response until you are staring, with your mind’s eye, at a vision so clear that it alone is The Answer. At that point there will not be other options, let alone uncertainties, because you will be in the embracing presence of your true calling. And that clarity, that vision, will be your lighthouse as you navigate your own success. Your vision will allow you to break out of the average life so many are trapped in.
How many people do you know who are simply trying to get through the day? Perhaps you are one of them. They become weighed down by the tasks of living and never “get around” to dreaming, let alone to drawing their line in the sand with a dream—a vision—for their lives. Throughout life you should be circling back to your vision and its importance within each area of your life. Spend some time writing your answers to these questions now, because it sets your life GPS for “onward and upward.”
An inability to see yourself in the future reflects a disconnect between where you are and where your purpose says you should be. It’s the “stuck” that prevents you not only from moving forward but also from living fully and consciously in the present. There is a fine line, to be sure, between living only in the future, and thereby missing the present, and aspiring to the future with intention toward fulfilled purpose, and thereby being grounded in the calling of today.
The first case leads to aimless wandering—the “just getting by” approach to life— while the second blazes a trail toward destiny, regardless of obstacles along the way. Consider the mantra of the race car driver Denny in the New York Times bestseller The Art of Racing in the Rain:
“La macchina va dove vanno gli occhi” (The car goes where the eyes go.) ~Denny
No driver will make it to the end of the street, let alone on the racetrack, by staring at the hood of his car. He sets his vision far ahead and trains his body—his “life”—to respond accordingly.
These next three questions are a bit easier and help you see beyond the hood of your car:
Where do you see yourself in six months?
Where you do see yourself in one year?
Where do you see yourself in the next five years?
By engaging in this exercise of short-term, mid-term and long-term vision creating, you will gain perspective on your current circumstances and potential limitations and challenges. You will more readily create enthusiasm for the possibilities—and probabilities—that lie ahead. These questions do not lend themselves to ready answers. Posing them to your subconscious mind, however, will activate your deeper, intrinsic motivations to rise to the conscious level and reveal the answers with clarity and conviction. In the meantime, begin working on simpler, shorter- term goals that align with the longer-term vision of your life’s destiny. Practice creates habit, and habit creates destiny.
Remember that the challenge before you when answering these questions is to “go deeper” with each response. Expand each answer— each part of each answer—to include details that are themselves “tiny visions.” You will then be filling in your “forest” with “trees,” and if you plant wisely, the trees you cultivate will provide the means to navigate your forest with clarity, confidence…and promise.
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LIVE August Virtual Group Coaching coming up on Friday the 26th at 12pmCST.
As you probably know, YouTube is one of the most powerful ways to use video in your marketing and we’ve got two of the very best strategists in the business. Owen and Theresa Hemsath from YouTube Authority.
And they’re going to blow your mind with the PROVEN strategies that they’ve used with their 7-figure businesses to increase their reach, influence, authority and their bottom line.
You’re going to get access to it all. Rachel and Joshua are going to pick their brains and get them to dish on their best practices. YouTube is one of the biggest platforms you can use to grow your personal brand and leverage the power of LinkedIn.
You do NOT want to miss this one. If you’ve struggled to make YouTube work for you or need help just getting your channel started this event is perfect for you.
Not only that, you’ll have the chance to connect with other members of the community who all have the same end goal in mind…AND we have our first famiLEE Discussion led by Bez Rengifo all about The 3 “Secret Sauce” Framework for Career Success.
The Virtual Group Coaching is a very exclusive opportunity just for the FamiLEE members who have 100 $SOA coins OR pay $149 NOW for the year. There’s one on the 4th Friday of every month and the things you learn will change your outlook on your business and your future.
Take a minute, head over to our Discord channel and RSVP to save your spot.