Your task—Create a three year vision for your business and personal lives.
It
sounds quite daunting doesn’t it?
That is because it can be. I
have no problem making a daily “to-do” list, a habit that started during my school
years. But, creating a vision of my future, a list of sorts of what my life will
look like three years away, is a gigantic project.
I started making lists
for Christmas. It was a project I approached with eager. Using the Sears toy catalog
as a guide and with the help of Saturday morning TV commercials, the job was easy
and fun. My imagination was in high gear as I allowed myself to dream about the
fun and excitement of having new toys to play with. The list was long since my
imagination was unlimited then.
It didn’t matter that my Christmas wish
list wasn’t met with a supply truck full of every item on Christmas day. My imagination
took charge of the situation with the toy gifts I did receive. I was mentally
programmed to have fun with the new toys.
Then old age set in after a
few years. Around age 11, well meaning adults including family, friends and teachers,
began to caution me about getting too optimistic about my wishes - my vision for
the future. It was better to be conservative and not to get my hopes too high.
That way, they said, you won’t be disappointed.
They were probably repeating
advice they had been given and had followed themselves. It’s good advice on the
surface, too. If your vision and expectations are set to a bar at knee height,
then I will just about guarantee that you won’t be disappointed.
I have
no formal education in psychology. Sometimes I have to use spell check just to
spell psychology correctly. On the other hand, I do have a degree from
the College of Observation that supports the following observation. Many business
owners have a hard time creating a three-year vision for their businesses because
they are mentally self- programmed to avoid imagining the business they really
want. Instead, they settle for status quo to avoid being disappointed.
Ironically, attempting to avoid being disappointed just leads to disappointment.
The business you really want to create is locked up somewhere in your head with
the easy-bake oven and the new bike you always wanted.
How
do you create a 36-month vision for your business and personal life?
Try these ideas.
- Do your planning and writing away from your
normal environment to be able to focus exclusively on the vision. Starbucks, the
library, the park, on the mountain, at the water’s edge.
- Let your imagination
override your self-limiting beliefs to write a description of how your personal
and business lives should look three years away.
- Start by creating a bullet
point “Christmas list” of the things you want. Make sure you list all of the toys
and benefits you are looking for.
- Finish by identifying ways or paths
to get those things on the list. Remember it’s a vision, a dream. The paths may
have to change with time as necessary, but the vision can be constant if you don’t
want it to change it.
2006 starts another trip around the
sun for all of us. Why not start the process of creating the vision for your business
for next year now?
Use
your imagination and dream a three year vision for your business. I can teach
you the skills you need in my 8 simple strategies for success. Want to
learn more? click
here
