Your Vision of the future is simply not grand enough if you can achieve it on your own! You need to expand that great idea into a grand ideal by multiplying the concept by a factor of hundreds or even thousands. Your Vision is the end game, a utopia that you may not even live to see. Your Vision represents a future YOU must play your part in creating AND one where the enrolment of others is vital. My personal Vision is
“To live in a world of enlightened citizens and leaders.”
Your Mission, tailored as it must be to your skills and attributes, represents your role in bringing into being Your Vision. I am not the only person with a vision like mine. There are thousands of others, most of whom I do not know. They may not use the same words or even the same language; they may not even use language. But they do have the same intent expressed in their Vision. They may not know me or that I even exist. Yet, we get up daily to tackle our individual missions in aid of Creating the world we collectively want to live in. My personal Mission is;
“To create conversations to enlighten individuals, coach to inspire them to do the same and be the difference.”
Then there are those whose own Vision, whilst not the same as mine, is directly aligned in terms of contributing to the overall direction of humanity.
Indigenous Health
I have a client working as an accountant in indigenous health. Their Vision is “to live in a world where every family can express values and feels valued to the extent they can and will access health services when needed.” They are battling post-colonial indigenous community memories of inappropriate treatment that stand as barriers to young mothers seeking health care. Their goal is to demonstrate accessing healthcare is both safe and beneficial. The methodology can then be adapted and used in other post-colonial indigenous communities around the world.
Their Mission is to make sure strict financial accountability is maintained so as the statistical and fiscal benefits to long-term healthcare costs can be demonstrated.
Sustainable Fashion
Another client, a young clothing designer has as their Vision “to create a sustainable future, where people are mindful of themselves and their actions”.
Their Mission is “To empower others to express themselves through beautiful and sustainable clothing”. They have designed and market a range of linen clothes which are bio-degradable and manufactured in the country where they are sold.
Regenerative Agriculture
This client has a vision of “Transforming Dead Dirt into Generative Ground so as people experience lightness and wonder, and the world has experienced renewal and regeneration.”
Their Mission is to lead the conversations between the scientific, business and governmental communities so a range of initiatives can be funded and completed before we run out of time!
Best not climb a mountain alone
Yes, if you want to be a client of John’s be prepared to keep digging until you find the big why! The Big Vision from which, you know deep in your heart, you cannot walk away. No matter how hard the going gets because it matters to you and thousands of others and you have a unique role to play.
The Liverpool Football team have as their motto “You’ll never walk alone”. When you undertake your life’s Mission in pursuit of Your Vision, you may never walk alone! However, you might feel very alone as challenges present themselves. This is when your team is essential. There is no way Andreia would exist today if I had been on my own and I am confident Tanja would say the same. We created Andreia and have each other’s back. Also, on our teams are our life partners, our coaches (yes, we have coached plural), the technical team and of course our clients. With Clients like these, how can I not be inspired! Who is on your team, who have you told about Your Vision for the future?
New Team Member
This brings me to the feature picture, meet Ayden, my grandson new to this world in the past week. He is, of course, all the usual superlatives and a redhead to boot. Holding him in my arms reminded me of what I ask my clients, “what is it that you want to be remembered for?”.
I am on my Mission to bring into being my Vision because of Ayden. Because of his cousin Cooper. Their Mums and Dads, Aunts and Uncles (aka my kids and their partners) and everyone like them. They’re all on MY team, it is how I know I have found the right Vision. They haven’t told me directly, AND that doesn’t matter. It is my love for them and their generations that drives me to want to make the difference I can in this world. Not just take what I can and leave them the empty shekels of fiscal achievement.
“For success, like happiness, cannot be pursued; it must ensue, and it only does so as the unintended side effect of one’s personal dedication to a cause greater than oneself…I want you to listen to what your conscience commands you to do and go on to carry it out to the best of your knowledge.”
Fired Up and Running Hard
Often, we think of super motivated people in the context of being fired up and willing to thrash themselves mercilessly to win their prize. Taking action is part of the story of living Your Life Your way. It is, however, action taken from a particular perspective AND a much larger role in living Your Life Your way is played by Persistence. Persistence ultimately comes down to the structures you have created that both enable and encourage you to stay on track. (For more on Persistence check out my blog “You Are All You’ve Got” .) Your team, your people are critical features in whatever structures you need to be persistent. They form a strategic resource for you to tap into. That’s why they are so important because they are either enabling you or disabling you!
If you’ve got this far and are still wondering what your Vision is, call me! Send me an email, we will set up a time and go looking together. I’ll work with you and dig in to find out what matters to you, what legacy you want to leave then we’ll create a strategic plan. But that’s for another blog.