Where Do You Want to Be?
It’s well-thought business wisdom that we need vision for a business or a career. Knowing where we’re going makes our daily decisions easier, quicker, and more lasting, because we’re building a road to a specific destination. Having a vision for our work is the same as having goal we’re saving our money to enjoy — a vacation or a great retirement.
I’ve not met anyone who disagrees with the wisdom of doing that. Yet, when I ask folks about their vision, most people have to stop, find some long ago thought, and dust it off. Holding that vision in the sunlight, they see how long it’s been set aside. Real-time issues and day-to-day decisions have taken all of their attention.
Many folks have lost track of their vision and don’t realize.
How to Know If You’ve Lost Track of Your Vision
If we don’t keep our business vision in our sights, we lose direction. A business vision is the energy that fuels our decisions, especially when situations get trying, and we’re learning new things under new conditions. With no clear focus to guide us, we start to compromise. Here’s how to know if you’ve lost track of your vision.
- If you wake up in the morning thinking the day is going to be boring, you’ve probably lost track of where you’re going.
- If you look at your life in the future and what you see is more of what’s right here, you’re not heading anywhere certain.
- If you’re watching other folks get places and your response is that could have been mine, you’ve set your dream aside.
- If you think that having a vision for your business is too [put your word here] for a serious person like you, you’ve given up trying.
- If you cite the roadblocks and barriers to making your vision a reality and consistently stop there, your vision is just a story.
The road to making a most amazing vision happen is paved with our thoughts, our passion, and our decisions. No outside barrier can stop a person who’s willing to stay fully invested in getting where they want to go. Winners keep their vision in front of them, adjusting and tweaking it to fit reality and their changing skill set. They do the work and stay the course, holding onto the future they see, even when other choices come along.
That’s the purpose of having a vision — to guide us to where we want to go.
Is time to take out your vision and dust it off again or are you on the road to making it happen? Do you know where you’re going?
–ME “Liz” Strauss
If you need to refocus where you’re going, let’s talk.
Geoff Livingston says
February 19, 2008 at 7:46 AMThanks, Liz. It’s hard to get where you are going if you don’t know where that is. Lost souls happen because dreams are never stated. Believe it or not, I write out 20 vision statements for myself every morning!
ME Liz Strauss says
February 19, 2008 at 8:46 AMHi Geoff!
Yep, I so agree that if we don’t state our dreams, we’re in danger of losing them.
20 Vision statements! Wow!
Hunter Nuttall says
February 19, 2008 at 9:33 AMThe sad thing is that many people have a clear vision of what they DON’T want. It’s easier to visualize reality than imagination, so if someone currently has what they don’t want, it’s easy to focus on that. But if everyone wrote 20 vision statements for themselves every morning, what would the world be like?
ME Liz Strauss says
February 19, 2008 at 10:18 AMHi Hunter!
I used to be someone who defined myself by what I didn’t want and what I wasn’t. I gave that up in favor of what I am and can do.
All of the answers are really within us. If we know who we are, we know what direction we should be going. I know because it’s one of the things I help people do — as part of how I earn my living. In six hours of conversation (over six weeks) people see the vision that aligns with who they are and map out a plan that is clear about how to get there.
Karin H. says
February 19, 2008 at 10:37 AMHi Liz
We use another word for our vision – we call it our hedge-hog concept (from Good to Great, Jim Collins ans co.)
Now, since December I’m again the proud owner of a charm-bracelet and one of the little charms – I bought myself – is a little hedge-hog.
What better way to remind my day by day 😉 (And it’s a beautiful little thing too!)
Karin H. (Keep It Simple Sweetheart, specially in business)
ME Liz Strauss says
February 19, 2008 at 10:58 AMHi Karin!
Thanks for waiting to get through.
Keeping an eye on your vision sounds like a great way to get more jewelry. I’m going to have to give my vision a mascot. Hmmmm 🙂
DaveOlson says
February 19, 2008 at 12:56 PMhey Liz,
Thanks for the timely reminder. If you forget your destination, you probably won’t get there. Even if you had great intentions to start with.
🙂
ME Liz Strauss says
February 19, 2008 at 1:30 PMExactly, Dave. Exactly.
As a friend just wrote me . . . time to get busy. Lots to do!
Josh says
February 19, 2008 at 1:38 PMwow, nice posting,
but there is no use of dreaming the vision, work to achieve that dream. That’s important.
ME Liz Strauss says
February 19, 2008 at 5:05 PMI’m with you, Josh!
It takes work to get the dream. 🙂
Suzie Cheel says
February 19, 2008 at 7:52 PMYes so true and where I was at earlier this year. Helps to have it clearly in front of you. The vision board helps too. I still have to clearly define it on paper
ME Liz Strauss says
February 19, 2008 at 9:34 PMYeah, Suzie!
I know. I was there too a while ago.
When you get all of you going in the same direction. Head, heart, and purpose, it’s an amazing thing. I’ve seen it now in several people and the energy and confidence are breathtaking when folks know what they’re here to do . . . everything around them makes sense.
Matt says
February 20, 2008 at 4:58 PMGreat post! A lot of people lose sight of their vision, but another common occurance is that a person’s vision changes. What they once wanted they no longer do… and thats scary to think about. Especially if you’ve worked long as hard only to discover you’ve chosen the wrong path (how many recent college graduates must be saying that!). Courage to change… now there is something thats hard to teach!
Thanks for a great article!
ME Liz Strauss says
February 20, 2008 at 7:48 PMHi Matt!
I’m very old, but I did go to college. So did most of my friends. I don’t know anyone who is doing what they thought the we be doing when they graduated. How could we know? We had tons of information and no life experience. 🙂
Now I see, life is all about changes. The only that stays the same is the stuff we have to work with. That’s not so bad. After all, people and stars have a lot in common.
When we know we are we can shine just as brightly.