Eleven years ago, I built a new home and had a vision of a patio that I wanted to build on the back of the house. Not just any patio, mind you. This was an outdoor living space that I had in my mind’s eye. I saw it clearly, drew it out, and I could actually feel myself sitting out there, taking in the fresh air.
There was one problem. With the house going over budget, I could not afford exactly what I wanted.
Whenever I would share my vision with others, they would all have ideas and suggestions of how I could do something different and be able to have my patio sooner.
In other words, they suggested that I compromise.
While I listened to everything that everyone suggested, I was not willing to compromise. I knew exactly what I wanted, and I was going to have it...eventually.
Throughout the next several years, I would save money towards my patio vision. But, life, as it tends to, kept creeping in and tapping into those funds for other situations. Money came and went, but I kept the vision. People continued to make suggestions about doing it differently or even try to talk me out of it. The township where I lived changed zoning rules, and I had to put in the effort to find out how to be ‘grandfathered in.’ Some who were tired of hearing about my patio project told me ‘it can’t be done’ so just forget about it.
But I didn’t forget about it. I had a clear vision and I never left that vision. I persisted and did what I needed to do to get exactly what I wanted.
I went through four builders until I found the one who saw exactly what I saw. It took 11 years, and it is now real. I have my patio...and it is exactly what I envisioned it would look like eleven years ago.
That's the thing about having a real vision. You don’t settle. It keeps you working, it doesn’t happen overnight, and you don't compromise.
You realize that it’s a marathon, not a sprint, and you are OK with that.
I got my patio because I had a WHY.
Vision is your ‘why’ and is attached to your heart. It’s not just the bigger picture; it’s a fire in your belly that keeps you going even when it’s not fun or easy!
When we think about successfully accomplishing something, we often think of goals. We set goals, we work goals, and (hopefully) we achieve goals.
Goals are your ‘how.’ Goals are typically made up of a series of short term tasks that build up to a finish line. Goals are attached to your brain.
When your heart and your brain work together, you can accomplish great things.Vision can take two forms; one, like the patio, requires waiting until you can do exactly what you want to do. The other is to just begin the process that ultimately creates exactly what you want.
Several years ago, when I started looking for a planner specific to the direct selling industry, I kept coming up short. There simply was nothing for the industry that I felt ‘knocked it out of the park.’ So, I decided to create a planner based on what my vision looked like. I put together a first attempt. The first planner I offered was only 88 pages and had no accessories. It wasn’t exactly what I envisioned, but it was a START!
People loved it and gave us feedback as to what would make it even better. The second year was, in fact, even better. But, it was still not my exact vision.Improving upon it every year and following my original vision, we eventually had a gorgeous planner that had stickers and accessories, and the packaging was awesome!
THAT was the vision I had on day one...and we got there, because we did not give up.I kept the vision in the forefront of my mind. I knew that only when we got there could we say we ‘knocked it out of the park.’It took four years of trial and error and failures in order to get exactly what I wanted. Working toward the reward kept me going. I could see in my mind someone opening the box and being blown-away! I had envisioned the look of excitement on someone’s face as they recorded an unboxing video and posted it on Facebook.
I saw it clearly before it ever came to fruition. That’s what vision is all about.When a clear vision is in the front of your mind, it’s easier to keep working towards it, and not stop until you accomplish it.If you do not have a clear vision, you will end up compromising or giving up at some point.
One of the most helpful tools I have used over the years in helping me to create crystal clear visions over and over is the ‘vision board.’ Vision boards keep your ‘why’ in the forefront of your mind as you walk through your life. (That’s why there is a vision board right in the front of my planner!)
If you are not familiar with this life-changing tool, a vision board is a visualization tool that can include pictures, quotes, photos of people, images of places you want to visit or anything that will inspire you. It can be a cork-board that you pin these things to, a big piece of poster-board that you glue those things on, or it can be a digital file on your computer that you create in a word processing program or on a presentation slide.
The reason that vision boards work so well is because you actually SEE them every single day! Research tells us that visualization is one of the powerful and effective ways to get messages into your mind for the long haul. Words come and go, but images not only stick in our minds better, they also invoke feelings and emotions. Feelings and emotions are what make us take action, not words.
Seeing exactly what you want everyday is inspiring and is more likely to keep you going. But even when you face challenges or setbacks, that vision board will be staring right back at you, creating those feelings that get you motivated again and again and again!
Keeping your eye on the prize requires consistent reminders of what you are trying to accomplish and why. By getting clarity on your vision (WHY), and creating a vision board so you can SEE that long-term goal every single day, will help you to accept that great things don’t happen overnight...and that’s OK. Not giving up over the long haul will be SO worth it!
XOXO!
Belinda
Vision Board image by http://camykennedy.com/vision-board/