"What's Your Vision?"

By Nina Atwood

Many of the world's greatest achievers were visionaries - able to see outcomes that were not yet available in the physical world, then bring them into reality. 

Albert Einstein was one. His theory of relativity began with a vivid daydream of riding on a beam of light. Einstein often envisioned solutions to incredibly complex problems, then gave them to his team of mathematicians to prove.

Henry Ford was another - Ford envisioned the V8 engine, then gave the problem of building it to his engineers (who proclaimed it an impossible task). After a solid year of work (backed by Ford's insistence that it could be done), they found the solution.

The power of Visioning is immense - much more so than we tend to acknowledge. Quantum physics teaches us that all matter in the universe - everything from a bird to a planet to a human being - is made up of only two components: information and energy. This awareness gives rise to the realization that we have a great deal of power to influence and even transform our reality simply by shaping the way we interact with the information and energy in our lives.

Vision is the Gestalt, or whole, of an array of elements such as idea, dream, inspiration, thought, and imagination. Vision combined with knowledge and planning form the Informational component of reality. However, Vision alone is not enough! Accomplishment requires more.

Passion, desire, purpose, intention, and commitment are the drivers that move Vision into Reality. Action combined with these internal drivers creates the Energy component of our formula: Information + Energy = Outcome.

Our dreams come true when fueled by desire and commitment, then backed by sustained action over a period of time. When the inevitable stumbling blocks emerge, we persevere to the degree that our Energy (desire, commitment) remains high. Where does that Energy come from? It comes from Vision, but not just any vision!

The Vision that we create for our initiatives must be inspirational and aligned with our core values. It must be something that we believe in and believe is possible. It must be something that we believe is a contribution (adds real value). Most of all, we have to really want it!

Inspirational Vision gives rise to desire and commitment, which fuels our plans for the sustained action that it takes to move from dream to reality. This is the natural order of the universe - it is easy when we put all the components in place.

What this means for business leaders is that the quality of the Vision created has everything to do with the results obtained. It is a vital step and one that deserves time (away from the day to day grind) and deeply focused attention as well as intention.

Now is the time to focus on the creation of a Vision for next year's initiatives. Strategic planning processes must begin with a powerful Vision, and the assistance of a trained coach often opens up even greater possibilities for expansion and creative breakthrough. Why? Because often others can see the aspects of ourselves that lie outside of our self-imposed limitations - including the keys to being all that we can be.

Want 2003 to be your best year yet? Get started today with your Vision and strategic plan. Carve out the time and ramp up the energy - it is possible to make your dreams come true!

Article Copyright 2002 by Nina Atwood, All Rights Reserved

Reprints only by permission of Nina Atwood