Many talk about the power of vision without truly understanding how real it is, and how much of a difference it can make in personal or professional achievement. It isn’t about “seeing is believing”. It’s about believing you have the power to make your vision come true.
Vision + Emotion = Drive
As a salesman for my previous company, I attended a five-day training program in Seattle. At the end of the course, our trainer David Green asked each person to come to the front of the room and articulate his or her sales goals.
When my turn came, I walked confidently to the front of the room and described the following picture: “In December, I attend the international company convention in Seattle, where I receive an award for being the top sales producer. I am asked to step on stage, and in front of 1000 people, the company president hands me a plaque with my name on it. I step forward, my picture is taken, and I feel incredibly proud as I step off the stage.”
I was visualizing success.
Even as I said this, I knew it was a long shot. In order to qualify for this award, I would need to produce over $200,000 in revenue by the end of August. As a second-year salesman, it was a daunting goal.
Regardless of the odds, winning this award and getting the recognition was very important to me. I wanted it so bad that I devoted my full attention to this goal, thinking long and hard about how I could accomplish it. Then I set to work.
By the end of May, I had collected $110,000 in revenue over the previous nine months. I had three more months to make $90,000 for the company.
Working diligently, I scheduled meetings with potential clients, attended networking events, got contracts signed and collected as many payments as I could. In the month of June, I collected $20,000. In July, I set a personal record of $25,000. My focus grew stronger with every sale. In August, I had my best month ever – $50,000! My year end total came to $205,000. I was elated.
Come December, I flew to the corporate convention in Seattle. During the award presentations, I was asked to step behind a curtain on stage. I heard music, then my name was called over the loudspeaker. Stepping to the front of the stage, I shook the hand of the president and accepted my award. David Green took a picture of me with a big smile and bright face, and 1000 people clapped for me.
As my emotions soared, I recognized something very important: setting the goal is only the first step. By connecting the goal with a strong desire for recognition, I became deeply committed to achieving it. The raw power of emotion made the vision became incredibly motivating.
Unleashing the Power of Vision
Visioning is a skill that anyone can develop. Here are two different approaches.
1- Close your eyes and roll a movie in your mind. See yourself in the moment of success, reaching the goal, delivering the speech, landing the job… whatever you want to achieve. Mentally rehearse what’s coming. You are literally writing the script for yourself, so make it great.
“Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.” George Bernard Shaw
2- If you want to develop a vision of your ideal situation (company, job, partner, whatever it may be), start by building a list of questions first.
- What kind of environment?
- What kind of people?
- What are the key numbers?
- What actions?
- What experiences?
- What feelings?
- What role(s)?
- What structure(s)?
- What mindset?
- What results?
The list of questions is up to you, but the more specific details you can identify, the more exciting the vision becomes.
With either approach, be sure to use the 3 P’s: see it in present tense, use positive language, and build vivid pictures. These will help you supercharge the vision with emotion, generating energy to carry you across the finish line.
The more specific and compelling you make your vision, the more interested in it you become. When it gets really interesting, it becomes utterly compelling. It begins to generate its own energy, and anyone who reads it feels pulled in, and focused on the desired result.
The power of vision is incredibly strong.
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