Every one of us has a vision of some type; for some it may simply be to live a good life with a decent income, being healthy and sending our kids to school.

For others it may be to become successful in business, own our own home, become wealthy or even be the President of the United States someday. Whatever your vision is, ask yourself; "What are the Odds of achieving that Vision?"

Is it a Dream or a Vision

Most people have a vision and virtually 100% of humans dream. What's the difference? The difference lies in what we do about it.  A vague notion of what we might like to do is not a vision. For a dream to become a vision we need a roadmap, a plan of some type or nature. It can simply be a bullet point list of steps required to move forward or it can be a complex documented action plan with timelines to achieve the goals listed in our vision.

Most visions start out as dreams that propel us forward giving us energy and incentive to work hard at achieving those dreams. That hard work typically starts with some sort of plan to move forward. Those of us who cannot internally decipher our dreams and turn them into a vision simply become wishful thinkers. I have known numerous dreamers in my lifetime that were simply wishful thinkers. I found out early on in my career that if your ship misses the harbor it is generally not the harbors fault.

The following is a list of different types of dreams to be aware of:

Daydreamers ---- Daydreams are often simply distractions. Someone who spends a lot of time day dreaming, especially while on the job, is displaying a symptom that may indicate a lack of self-esteem, boredom, or even apathy.
Bad Dreams ----  Dreams that focus on bad results often breed fear and fear can induce paralysis.  Fear paralyzes potential, creativity and innovation.

Idealistic Dreams --- Often these dream focus on an entitlement mentality. How wonderful things would be if only I were in charge with no concept of what it takes to reach that level of responsibility.
 
Barriers to Achievement of our Vision

So, we have a vision because we have concrete ideas on what it will take to achieve that vision. That alone does not guarantee success. There are still barriers we must contend with and develop action plans to overcome those barriers as they confront us.

These barriers include:

Naysayers --- These are people that are generally pessimistic. They may even be jealous because they can't even spell vision let alone have one of their own. Learn to disassociate yourself from these kinds of people.

Memories of Past Failures --- Failure is nothing more than a learning experience.  Focus on the wisdom gained from past failures not the negative consequence of those failures.

Lack of Confidence --- Confidence, not arrogance, separates those who succeed and those who fail. Believe in yourself, the more you believe in yourself, in your vision the more likely you are to continue your pursuit and never, ever give up.

Lack of Preparation and Planning ---- Document your thoughts. Create a roadmap with a timeline and then develop individual action plans to achieve each milestone in your roadmap.
 
Creating your own vision can help you master some of the most difficult challenges you will face in life. Allocate "Brain Time". Call it intellectual meditation if you like but just dedicate a specific amount of time at a specific time during the day to do nothing but think and work on your vision.

No one owes you anything. You are ultimately in charge of your destiny. Create plans and then document those plans. You will be amazed at what can happen.

Rick Johnson, expert speaker, wholesale distribution's "Leadership Strategist", founder of CEO Strategist, LLC a firm that has helped hundreds of clients create and maintain competitive advantage. Need a speaker for your next event, E-mail rick@ceostrategist.com.  Don't forget to check out the Lead Wolf Series that can help you put more profit into your business.

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