Can You See It?

Michelangelo discovered a huge, rough marble rock in a quarry. Within it he could actually see his masterpiece The David and said he merely had to carve away the unnecessary marble and he would have his statue.

When we create a vision for our life, imagery proves to be an especially useful tool.

A jigsaw puzzle is easier to put together when you can see a picture of the puzzle to be solved.

Visioning is very similar.

The word vision is derived from the Latin word videre, meaning to see. You can only create your future if you see it in your mind first. Otherwise, it just evolves out of the path of least resistance.

Envisioning is a mental process  you focus your imagination. The more vivid, real, visual, and richly detailed the image is, the more effective and compelling it will be. You wont do anything you cant picture yourself doing.

When we can see our vision clearly it is like writing our history before it happens!

Legendary advertising executive David Ogilvy started his advertising agency by listing all the clients that he most wanted General Foods, Lever Brothers, Bristol Myers, Campbell Soup Company and Shell Oil. Those companies were, at the time, the largest advertising accounts in the world, and of course he had none of them. However, they were on his list, they were part of his vision.

Mr. Ogilvy said that it took time but eventually he got every single one of them.

Think of the construction of a home.

Construction companies that put a significant effort into the design phase of building experience far fewer errors or changes during the building process. The best plans would contain every detail, right down to the exact placement of the soap dish in the shower.

The more the designers are able to hammer out the details during the visioning process, the more likely they will be to achieve the final result.

Stephen Covey, author of Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, once asked his sons Orthodontist how he approached his work.

The doctor told Mr. Covey that he first started with a picture in his mind of what the mouth would look like when he was finished. Keeping that image in mind at all times guided every single decision and move, each one building on the next in order to achieve the visualized outcome.

In other words, he didnt decide the next move based on what the mouth currently looked like, he chose his next move based on what the mouth would look like when he was done.

Wayne Gretzky, the ice-hockey great, doesnt chase after the puck he skates to where he envisions the puck will be.

Your vision of the future is based on how you make decisions today. What you say, what you do, how you act on purpose and on target for your ideal future.

• What specific actions are you doing today that move you toward your vision?
• What behaviors are based solely on how you feel today?
• How will you change those to reflect a commitment to your ideal future?