VISION FOCUS With the vision focus module you will learn about: What a Vision really is and why its important How to find out your true ‘Why’ The steps to create a vision How to make your vision a reality The difference between a vision & goals How to set effective goals How to deal with ‘Dream Stompers Introduction to Vision Your Vision should detail where you want to go in life as well as your future hopes, aspirations and way of living. Introduction & Your Why Having a vision is one of the most critical aspects to achieving success in every area of your life. Being able to look beyond your current situation and envision your final outcome is what will ultimately drive you to follow through. Although setting goals is an important step in the process, having a powerful vision focus ensures you know what you are aiming for, and why. Consider it your insurance policy! The Straight Line is a technique, but without a driving force to break through the “no’s” and a commitment to developing the Inner World –you will not achieve any where near the heights you can if you integrate both. A critical part of the Inner World is having the ability to create a vision that inspires you. Its critical to keep yourself focused on where you want to actually go in life versus what you’re afraid of, the latter of which is what most unsuccessful do; they actually focus on where they don’t want to go in life, as a result of their fears, and they end up heading right smack in that direction, Its one of the most fundamental laws of nature: we always end going in the direction of our focus. So if you focus we don’t want to go, that’s exactly where you end up! If a salesperson, or anyone for that matter, does not have a vision of who they want to be, how they want to succeed or what they want out of life, they will begin to lack drive and their life becomes an order of events. And if you have a strong enough “why,” you will always find your “how.” Creating Your Vision How to Set a Vision How to Set a Vision Use your Vision Focus to guide your days, activities, decisions, choices and actions. There are three key steps to creating a Vision for your future. 1. Think big! Make sure its aspirational – don’t be held back by any limiting beliefs or low standards. The payoff needs to be worth it to ensure that you are motivated to work towards it. It needs to be compelling and inspire YOU. 2. Write it down. Until you write it down, it’s not real. Use strong powerful language and keep it in the present tense. For example use statements like “I AM DOING X” “WE ARE DOING Y”. 3. Keep it grounded in reality, but still aim high. If your vision is not grounded in reality, it’s simply a delusion. Your Vision is also malleable – you can continue to shape it and mould it as you progress down your path. Remember to remind yourself of your vision regularly – particularly when you are facing obstacles. The Ultimate Motivators: Pleasure And Pain There are two forces that motivate people—pain and pleasure—with one or the other being the more dominant influence. Once you know what your primary motivation strategy is you can use these forces to motivate yourself (and others) every single day. One motivator in particular can get in the way of putting yourself in an unstoppable state—the fear of pain. The two fundamental fears we all have is that we’re not enough and because of this we won’t be loved. Fear is the antithesis of certainty, courage, clarity and confidence (which are discussed more in the State Management module) and is the biggest impediment to achieving success. People employ three basic strategies for dealing with it: Making Your Vision a Reality Sharing your Vision We respect people who can develop a vision, sell it and make it real. If any one of these three elements is missing, you won’t succeed in recruiting people to your vision. Once you have created your vision, the next step is to think about how you are going to inspire others to follow your vision. One important caveat to sharing your vision with others is that while having a vision is important, you need the skills to make it really happen – otherwise it’s just a delusion. Delusional people want great stuff but they don’t have the necessary skills or aren’t willing to do the work. You will need to think about what skills/resources/experience do YOU need to execute on your vision. Vision vs Goals Vision vs Goals The Difference Between a Vision & a Goal Goals help you achieve certain objectives, a vision helps you realise your dreams. A vision is far more important than a goal for three reasons: 1. Goals are temporary; they essentially come and go. You set one, you achieve it, and then you move on to the next one. A vision, on the other hand, is for the long-term. It stays with you, and it’s something that guides your progress for years. 2. Goals don’t inspire other people. To get ahead in life, you typically need to enlist the support of others. People will not buy into your goals but they will buy into your vision. 3. Your goals are not destinations. They are merely stepping stones along the way to realizing your vision. Goals enable you to essentially achieve certain objectives. A vision, on the other hand, helps you realize your dreams. Setting Goals Specific Steps to Setting Goals You have a clear and compelling vision, but you need to create goals that will support this vision. When creating goals, don’t forget to stay fully associated to your ultimate vision throughout this entire process, focusing on your accomplishments, not your failures. Most importantly, don’t forget about your “why.” Although not the driving force, goals are important vehicles to support your vision. With your vision in mind, brainstorm and write down four milestone goals that will help you achieve it. Get specific. Who are the people, groups and organisations that are going to help you? What are the specific skills, dates and timeframes? When writing your goals, think of someone very important to you (such as your children, parents, or spouse), and include something you could do for them as a result of achieving this goal. Remember, goal-setting is not a complex process. Keep it short. Keep it simple. Keep it to one page. Goal Setting: Check-In 30-60 day check-in: After 30 to 60 days, you will need to check-in with where you are at with your goals. It’s important to diarise these dates to remind you to check-in and assess what is working and what is not working, as well as where you need to make adjustments. It’s also useful to write down what success will look like in 30 days and 60 days for each of your goals. Also, what will it look like if you are not successful. Dream Stompers Dreamstompers Your entire environment, including the people you surround yourself with, is extremely important to successfully creating and achieving a compelling vision. One of the biggest distractions from our focus can be the people in our lives. When you are on the Straight Line path to creating wealth and success, you need to choose the people with whom you surround yourself very carefully. Surround yourself with people who bring you up, not tear you down. As you succeed and move forward in life, use your past as a lesson and surround yourself with people who are as committed as you are to your future. When the people around you reinforce the importance of your vision, it helps you focus your energy in the direction of achievement. That kind of focus will make you absolutely unstoppable. Remember: “No matter your history, we are not the mistakes of our past. We are the resources and capabilities we glean from our past.” Generally, its best that you don’t discuss your Vision with negative people. If you do mention your Vision and they respond negatively, don’t get drawn into a conversation with them about it. You don’t need to justify your Vision to others. Elegantly change the subject. Be wary of those who “just have your best interests at heart”. Because you have taken the time to understand why you want to achieve your Vision, you will have a strong internal rationale for pursuing it and it will be difficult for people to influence your resolve. If you are already experiencing a lot of doubt about your Vision, consider your rationale again and refine it. The Dream Stomper may merely be triggering the self-doubt you already have. Consider the issues they have that cause them to react negatively – their reaction probably has nothing to do with you and everything to do with them. They probably interact with others in the same way. Negative people sometimes thrive on getting a reaction from you – understanding this takes their power to get a reaction from you away and can even reduce the amount of negativity they push your way. As Jim Rohn says, “you are the average of the five people you spend the most time with”. If all else fails, reduce your time with Dream Stompers or even temporarily ‘lose their number’. Close Close Vision Close Remember: The key to creating a compelling vision is to constantly focus on, and imagine your life’s destination, making it real in your head. Visualize where you want to be in life, where you want to live, what you want to be and completely focus your actions towards achieving this image. It’s also important to consistently share your vision with others in order to re-enforce it and make it real. Use your Vision Focus to guide your days, activities, decisions, choices and actions.
