Regardless of what you do each day,  what matters most is that you are working toward something that inspires you; that you have a vision for yourself that is truly meaningful. You see, there is enormous power in having a vision. Not only does having a vision give greater meaning to the present, but it helps you deal more effectively with the challenges life throws at you and to see opportunities that you might otherwise miss.  It also acts as a compass to help guide your choices and discern what it is you want to say yes to and, by default, what you need to say no to.

“The most pathetic person is one who has sight but no vision” – Helen Keller

Any aspect of your life for which you have no vision, you also have little power. You see, without a picture in your mind about how your ‘ideal life’ would be you can end up being a rudderless ship settling for less out of life than you’d really like and moving in whatever direction assures the least resistance, least toil and least short term discomfort - mental, emotional or physical.  And so people who have no vision often find themselves:

·         spending years doing things they really don’t enjoy very much;  

·         saying ‘yes’ to near every request, offer or opportunity that comes along because they can’t think of any better way to fill their days;

·         blaming their lack of success in life on external factors rather than taking responsibility for their experience of life;

·         making choices that are driven by self doubt and fear;  and

·         failing to fulfill their full potential.

Ultimately if you don’t know where you want to go, any road will take you there!

If you think of any person who has achieved something truly great in the world – Mother Theresa, Mandela, Gandhi, Martin Luther King - you will note they were all people of vision.  They were not necessarily born any smarter, wealthier, luckier or better connected than the masses but they did have the courage to dream bigger and more inspiring dreams than those around them and to create a vision that compelled them to taking actions they would never have taken otherwise.  By having a vision that provided a deep sense of purpose and having the guts to play a bigger game in life, they grew into people they may otherwise never have become.

So what is your vision for your life?   What could you do with your time, energy and talents over the next 10, 20, 50 years that, when you arrived in the twilight of your life would leave you feeling a deep sense of fulfillment?   The fact is that the rest of your life will pass by regardless of what you choose to do with your time each day.  Why not spend some time to think about something you could work toward with your time and energy that would really make your life that much more fun and rewarding to live?  

I challenge you to dream a little bigger for yourself and your life.  Don’t be stopped by the small details about how the heck you are going to turn your vision into a reality.  Once you have connected with something that inspires you deeply, you will figure out how to move forward one small step at a time. What matters most is not whether you manage to achieve the vision that you are working toward, but that you have had the courage to pursue it in the first place.  It is the aim, not whether or not it is reached, that makes great the life.

“The greater danger is not that our hopes are too high and we fail to reach them,  it’s that they are too low and we do.”  -  Michelangelo

Of course it is 100% your choice about how big a game you want to play and how inspiring a vision you create for yourself. Your life is so short, dare to live it more boldly and dream bigger dreams for yourself trusting that whatever direction your dreams may take you, you have the ability and the courage to travel.

ACTION CHALLENGE:

1.       Get out pen and paper and at the top of it write down the heading “What I want 5 years from now” (or you could insert the age you will be five years from now e.g. “What I want when I am 45”). You can extend the time frame out if you would prefer.

2.       For each of the areas of your life listed below answer the following questions:  

a)       If this aspect of my life were absolutely fabulous what would it look like?

b)      How would I enjoy my life more if this aspect of it were how I wanted it to be?

c)       What needs to change for this part of my life the way I want it to be?

d)      How will I feel 5 years from now if I take no action toward this?

Career/ Business, Relationships, Financial, Health/Wellbeing, Recreation/Leisure & Home Environment

3.  What is one action I can take today – however small - which will move me one step closer toward my vision in each of these aspects of my life?

i)        Career/ Business (e.g. schedule a conversation with my boss about promotion opportunities, research training in opening a small business etc) 

ii)       Relationships (e.g. call sister, research dating services, schedule date with spouse etc)

iii)      Financially (e.g. ask people for a reference for a financial advisor, prepare a budget etc)

iv)     Health/Wellbeing (e.g. buy a new pair of sneakers, join a gym etc)

v)       Recreation/Leisure (e.g. visit a travel agent, arrange tennis lessons, invite friends for dinner etc)

vi)     Home Environment (e.g. call neighbor for cleaners phone number, call realtor, organize study/files etc)

“The only place where your dreams become impossible is in your own thinking.” - Robert H. Schuller

  

To listen to an audio recording of Margie speaking on The Power of Vision please click here.