What’s Your Vision? Skip the Crystal Ball.
To cast a vision means to imagine what you desire to be the future for your business—and then taking what you’re dreaming in your mind and forming it into a comprehensive, written statement, composed as if you have already accomplished it. Why do you need it? Your clear vision of success gives you direction—it dials in your focus and gives continuity to your actions.
Your vision becomes the foundation for everyone in your business to come together and see the BIG PICTURE, so that their goals are aligned and they share the same vision. We think in pictures, and that is a hidden secret to success. If you’re not normally inclined to visualize, now is the time to stay in a dream-like state and connect with the excitement of what your ideal business might look like through pictures in your mind.
Grab a piece of paper and pen and start writing what your business could look like five years into the future. Pull yourself up to the 10,000-foot level and look down upon your business, and then capture every thought that comes into your mind. To begin, consider these areas:
- What would you like the business to be earning, and what would your net profit be?
- What would you be doing in the business?
- Who would be working with you?
- Where would the business be located?
- What services or products would you be selling?
Tap into your five senses. What do you hear and see? How do you feel? Some people choose to be very specific, even describing the marble floors of the entryway, the office furniture, and the view from the conference room. Have fun with this exercise. Remember this is YOUR vision—you don’t have to share it with anyone unless you choose to do so.
We have been through the process many times of helping clients explore, tweak, and rewrite their vision over the course of working with them. Examples of the super successful and how they used the tool of visualization to build their businesses can be helpful. Here are two:
- Mary Kay Ash – she had a vision that women could advance in business and help others to succeed while doing it. What started as an idea for a book became the business plan for Mary Kay Cosmetics!
- Steve Jobs – he dreamed of making a computer for the everyday person and look where Apple has ended up!
Why cast your vision out at least five years? This is far enough to allow the mind to dream. Twelve months is too close to the heart, in a place where your mind can play tricks on you. With a shorter-term vision, you may think, “There’s no way I can generate so much revenue in one year!” But somehow, the idea of generating whatever your dream dollar amount is in five years makes your heart skip a beat and the exhilarating feeling of “what if” sets in. You start to dream bigger, “I’ll bet we could really do that…” and suddenly you’re having fun with your vision!
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