“The only thing worse than being
blind is having sight but no vision.”_Hellen Keller
Creating a clear
vision is essential to a meaningful life.
A good first
step to creating a great success is to create a ‘vision for one’s life.’
With a clear
vision, we can create extra-ordinary result in the future. Without it, mediocrity
will take over by default; as the old scripture says: ‘Without vision, we die.’
Envisioning
is important because the amount of one’s endurance and the intensity of one’s
focus are directly proportionate to the clarity of one’s vision.
However,
envisioning is not a onetime thing that we do and forget about completely; it
is something that we do continuously. It
is something we need to cultivate in our hearts every single day.
This is the
secret of true champions as the American former boxer and three-time
Heavyweight Champion, Muhammad Ali once said:
“Champions
aren’t made in the gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep
inside them— a desire, a dream, a vision.”
Having a
vision is about massively focusing on a promise, a principle, and the future. In
this direction, James Allen inspires further when he said:
“Dream lofty dreams, and as you dream, so
shall you become. Your vision is the promise of what you shall one day be; your
ideal is the prophecy of what you shall at last unveil.”
The author
of a perennial bestseller, ‘Think and Grow Rich,’ Napoleon Hill put it this
way: “Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, the mind can achieve.” For a
great thing to happen, we have to picture it first in our mind, and then act
faithfully towards its realization on until it is achieved.
Indeed, our
lifestyle can instantly take a new dimension when we populate our minds with
lofty ideals and commit to making them happen every day.
Resolve
to Stay True to Your Vision
When overwhelming
difficulties arise—as they must— don’t give in to despair and never give up on your
keenest vision. Be reminded that many icons in history went through the
toughest of challenges before they could realize the deepest desires of their
hearts.
More than
anything else, what kept them going was a firm belief they had in their vision,
a massive focus they placed on their goals, and most significantly, an
unshakable resolve they relentlessly nurtured to stay true to their dream.
In pursuant
of their resolute vision, they set and lived by higher standards than everyone
else. They lived their lives on purpose; they lived not by whim but by design.
Thus, they were not blocked from success by difficult circumstances but they
were led to greatness by strong personal decisions.
One of those
icons was Walt Disney, the founder of The Walt Disney Company.
Walt Disney
built an impressive empire with the supreme force of his vision. As he later commented:
“This whole thing was started with a dream.”
Even though
he had to face the crippling challenges of bankruptcy and betrayal, he was so
driven to succeed that he stared down ‘fatalities’ with a formidable force of
his shining vision.
As Disney
demonstrated with his life, when you are possessed by a great vision, you can
become almost invincible.
Along these
lines, Adam and Matthew Toren share great insights in their book: ‘Small
Business, Big Vision: Lessons on How to Dominate Your Market from Self-Made
Entrepreneurs Who Did it Right.’
To rekindle
our fighting spirit, they counsel as follows:
“If you're having trouble staying
motivated, do whatever you need to do to recapture that original feeling you
had when the spark first hit and your vision was crystal clear.
Remembering that moment—and, most
importantly, reestablishing that frame of mind—will get you through any
challenge you face.
No matter what the world throws at you, you do
have the power to push through.
So don't let anything or anyone get
between you and your big vision!”
By remaining
faithful to our vision through sincere effort to live each day with diligence,
discipline and purpose, we can be confident that the best years of our lives
are yet to come—no matter the degree of our success, right now.
Remember, being
faithful to our vision is about doing what we can with what we have at the
moment.
It is about
asking ourselves this question, each day:
“What one
step can I take this day to move me an inch closer towards turning my vision
into a reality?”
It is about
accepting the fact that circumstances will test our nerve, that unforeseen
trials will test our mettle; that life will assess the strength of our
determination.
It is about
knowing that we, therefore, must take 100% responsibility for our ultimate outcome,
no matter what happens—even when it is far easier to give up, to give in or to feel
sorry for ourselves.
If we apply this
every time we hit a wall of hindrances and hurdles, we will remain strong to fight
through to the top.
