7 Words You Absolutely Need on Your Vision Board
- Stephanie J. Womack
- Jan 17, 2017
- 2 min read
Do you remember a dream you had when you were younger? Maybe it was a dream to sing, or teach or write or travel the world. Somewhere along the lines, you let the dream become a distant memory. Childhood fodder.
But what if that wasn’t just fairy dust? What if that dream was a seed that was planted in your mind for a reason?
Is it time to dust off your dreams?
It’s still early in the new year and there may be some feelings of: “How do I make this year different?” It’s almost a nagging feeling that just won’t let your brain rest, isn't it? You can feel yourself growing more and more frustrated doing the same thing every day, with no clear plan of how to get off the hamster wheel. You may be even getting tired of certain family members or certain friends, always doing and talking about the same thing. Been there!
That means you’re close. You’re closer to making a decision that will turn your conviction and hopelessness into productivity and put you on the trajectory of your dream, new or old.
As I am thinking about the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday, I could focus on Dr. King’s legacy, but I believe there’s a greater story to be told. I’m not sure but I don’t think Dr. King set out his vision with a “legacy” in mind, because he probably thought he would be around to see a lot more things come to fruition. If you look up the word legacy, you will see that in this context, it is defined as, “a thing handed down by a predecessor.”
Before you can be a predecessor, you have to create something worth handing down. So, I want to take a moment to daydream about interviewing Dr. King about what it takes to achieve a dream, with only one question: "How do you build something "legacy" worthy?"
I can imagine the conversation might start like this, First, don't focus on the legacy, focus on the "why". The 'why' is why you do this work regardless of how you feel or if you are adequately compensated for being the visionary you are. And you do it, even if it doesn't directly benefit you. It's purpose, and you find purpose through a few key principles:
Vision - Write the vision. Make it plain. Stay committed to it.
Patience - Understand that things worthwhile, take time to build. Purpose is forever.
Evolve - Commit to learning and adapting to the environment.
Community - Surround yourself with the right people. They need to see the vision and be committed to it as well.
Happiness - Chase the thing that makes you happy. That will bring you success, not the other way around.
Pivot - Stay persisitent, but know when to pivot. Consider new solutions to old problems.
Do - Do the work that needs to be done. You're not too good to do the hard stuff either.
Comments