"When you have a sense of your own identity and a vision of where you want to go in life, you then have the basis for reaching out to the world and going after your dreams for a better life.
" Stedman Graham Everybody ends up somewhere in life.
A few people end up somewhere on purpose.
Those are the people with vision, with a clearly-defined dream.
Successful people may have other things going for them as well.
But they certainly have vision.
A clear dream, along with the courage to take action and follow through, dramatically increases your chances of success.
It has been said that if you aim for nothing, you will hit it every time! I couldn't agree more.
Consider the following story.
A man in a hot air balloon realized he was lost.
He reduced altitude and spotted a woman below.
He descended a bit more and shouted, "Excuse me, can you help me? I promised a friend I would meet him an hour ago, but I don't know where I am.
" The woman below replied, "You're in a hot air balloon hovering approximately 30 feet above the ground.
You're between 40 and 41 degrees north latitude and between 59 and 60 degrees west longitude.
" "You must be an engineer," said the balloonist.
"I am," replied the woman, "How did you know?" "Well," answered the balloonist, "everything you told me is, technically correct, but I've no idea what to make of your information, and the fact is I'm still lost.
Frankly, you've not been much help at all.
If anything, you've delayed my trip.
" The woman below responded, "You must be in management.
" "I am," replied the balloonist, "but how did you know?" "Well," said the woman, "you don't know where you are or where you're going.
You have risen to where you are due to a large quantity of hot air.
You made a promise which you've no idea how to keep, and you expect people beneath you to solve your problems.
The fact is you are in exactly the same position you were in before we met, but now, somehow, it's my fault.
" So many business owners are like the man in this comical story.
They don't know where they are or where they are going.
They blame others for their lack of success, or expect others to solve their problems for them.
Caught in the tyranny of the urgent, they work IN their business but not ON their business.
They lack a compelling vision of what could and should be! Let me give you another analogy.
Professional hockey players are highly skilled and trained (and might I add highly paid).
They make the game look so easy.
Imagine the Boston Bruins and the Vancouver Canucks taking to the ice recently to battle it out for the prized Stanley Cup.
Now picture the nets at either end of the rink being removed.
Now what do you have? Highly trained and skilled players skating around in circles going nowhere fast, simply wearing themselves out and accomplishing nothing.
Unfortunately, far too many highly skilled and trained business owners are not achieving their full potential because they haven't clearly identified their dream.
They are "skating around in circles going nowhere fast.
" Without a vision to guide their day-to-day decisions, they get trapped in the tyranny of the urgent.
Helen Keller, probably the most recognized blind person who ever lived, once said, "What would be worse than being born blind? To have sight without vision.
" The Good Book says that without a vision, people perish.
They run amuck.
They live without restraint, giving their time and attention to whatever screams the loudest instead of what will get them ahead in life.
For a business owner, the backbone of any business plan must be structured around his/her dreams and passions.
Only after you have clearly defined your life purpose can you effectively measure any progress toward that goal.
Defining a life mission is a process that requires self-evaluation and reflection.
In other words, it takes work.
But the benefits of clarifying what you want out of life is worth its weight in gold! What about you? Do you have a vision for your life? For your business? If so, have you broken it down to action steps you perform every day? Are you living on purpose? A clear vision can enhance your life and your business exponentially.
Ask yourself the following questions.
They can help kickstart the visioning process.
What do you want to do? Why do you want to do it? What are the benefits of doing it? What are the negative results of not doing it? Make a commitment right now to set aside 30-45 minutes this week to work on these four questions.
You might be surprised by what they reveal.
Eric R.
Deschamps - Business Coach, Ottawa
" Stedman Graham Everybody ends up somewhere in life.
A few people end up somewhere on purpose.
Those are the people with vision, with a clearly-defined dream.
Successful people may have other things going for them as well.
But they certainly have vision.
A clear dream, along with the courage to take action and follow through, dramatically increases your chances of success.
It has been said that if you aim for nothing, you will hit it every time! I couldn't agree more.
Consider the following story.
A man in a hot air balloon realized he was lost.
He reduced altitude and spotted a woman below.
He descended a bit more and shouted, "Excuse me, can you help me? I promised a friend I would meet him an hour ago, but I don't know where I am.
" The woman below replied, "You're in a hot air balloon hovering approximately 30 feet above the ground.
You're between 40 and 41 degrees north latitude and between 59 and 60 degrees west longitude.
" "You must be an engineer," said the balloonist.
"I am," replied the woman, "How did you know?" "Well," answered the balloonist, "everything you told me is, technically correct, but I've no idea what to make of your information, and the fact is I'm still lost.
Frankly, you've not been much help at all.
If anything, you've delayed my trip.
" The woman below responded, "You must be in management.
" "I am," replied the balloonist, "but how did you know?" "Well," said the woman, "you don't know where you are or where you're going.
You have risen to where you are due to a large quantity of hot air.
You made a promise which you've no idea how to keep, and you expect people beneath you to solve your problems.
The fact is you are in exactly the same position you were in before we met, but now, somehow, it's my fault.
" So many business owners are like the man in this comical story.
They don't know where they are or where they are going.
They blame others for their lack of success, or expect others to solve their problems for them.
Caught in the tyranny of the urgent, they work IN their business but not ON their business.
They lack a compelling vision of what could and should be! Let me give you another analogy.
Professional hockey players are highly skilled and trained (and might I add highly paid).
They make the game look so easy.
Imagine the Boston Bruins and the Vancouver Canucks taking to the ice recently to battle it out for the prized Stanley Cup.
Now picture the nets at either end of the rink being removed.
Now what do you have? Highly trained and skilled players skating around in circles going nowhere fast, simply wearing themselves out and accomplishing nothing.
Unfortunately, far too many highly skilled and trained business owners are not achieving their full potential because they haven't clearly identified their dream.
They are "skating around in circles going nowhere fast.
" Without a vision to guide their day-to-day decisions, they get trapped in the tyranny of the urgent.
Helen Keller, probably the most recognized blind person who ever lived, once said, "What would be worse than being born blind? To have sight without vision.
" The Good Book says that without a vision, people perish.
They run amuck.
They live without restraint, giving their time and attention to whatever screams the loudest instead of what will get them ahead in life.
For a business owner, the backbone of any business plan must be structured around his/her dreams and passions.
Only after you have clearly defined your life purpose can you effectively measure any progress toward that goal.
Defining a life mission is a process that requires self-evaluation and reflection.
In other words, it takes work.
But the benefits of clarifying what you want out of life is worth its weight in gold! What about you? Do you have a vision for your life? For your business? If so, have you broken it down to action steps you perform every day? Are you living on purpose? A clear vision can enhance your life and your business exponentially.
Ask yourself the following questions.
They can help kickstart the visioning process.
What do you want to do? Why do you want to do it? What are the benefits of doing it? What are the negative results of not doing it? Make a commitment right now to set aside 30-45 minutes this week to work on these four questions.
You might be surprised by what they reveal.
Eric R.
Deschamps - Business Coach, Ottawa