Everything Is Created Twice: The Importance of Vision

By Carol Kerr

Everything is created twice: First in thought, then in form.
It is the thought - the vision - that shapes the ultimate manifestation. It is also that thought - when kept alive and clear - that propels the success of high achievers.

A Vision
Have you heard of Florence Chadwick? She was the first woman to swim the English Channel. She describes visualizing completing the seemingly impossible task. It was the power of her vision that sustained her through the grueling preparation and the great swim.
Having conquered the channel, she set a new goal: to swim from the coast of California to Catalina Island, a 26-mile journey. After months of physical preparation and mental visioning, Chadwick set out with her coach and her mother in the boat beside her.
It was a foggy day for the cold Pacific Ocean swim and, about halfway there, she almost gave up. But her coach told her what she could not see - that her stroke was strong, her reserves not yet tapped. She called up her mental vision of reaching the shore of Catalina Island.
Chadwick pushed on, battling waves and fog for another 12 miles. Exhausted and engulfed in the fog, she could still not see Catalina Island, so she climbed into the boat. Just as she did, the fog lifted: There, just a half-mile ahead, was Catalina Island.
"If only I could have seen it, I could have made it," she said.

Moral of the Story
From that example, we see that vision not only sets direction, but creates and sustains motivation. Once lost, both drive and direction are fragmented, and one-time goals may be lost to a sense of defeat.
In business, it has long been recognized that the clear vision of a leader is what unifies stakeholders and forms the attitudes necessary for successfully completing any project.
The most successful companies and teams are led by visionaries who are able to articulate their vision in a way that enrolls and excites others to commit to its achievement. The most successful individuals are visionaries for themselves, their families, their communities and their teams.

The Power of Vision
Anyone in a position of leadership - managers, supervisors, team leaders, parents, entrepreneurs and people dedicated to their own self development - can use the power of vision to manifest great results.
Here are five mandates for instilling and maintaining vision in yourself and others:
1. Know your values and the shared values of those you lead.
2. Know what you want to achieve and create a vision that is consistent with values.
3. Invite key stakeholders to help craft a powerful vision statement.
4. Paint word pictures of the future state and bring them into the present tense.
5. Share the vision with stakeholders with passion and commitment as often as possible.
Some people's vision is literally fogged over by their competing roles and priorities. They feel pressure to succeed in their families, their jobs and even their hobbies.
Feeling the pull from various directions in life can make it difficult to sort out what they really want and how to get it. However, without a clear vision, they are stuck in a fog of competing or unclear priorities.
How about you? Do you have a vision of your desired future? Are you absolutely clear about what you want to achieve in 2010? If you lead a team or a company, have you painted the vision so clearly for your colleagues that everyone is aligned and moving deliberately toward common goals?
It is important to assess where we are headed, both personally and professionally. Goal achievers have a system that supports them in getting where they want to go.
1. Create goals based on things you feel passionate about.
2. Write your goals down.
3. Do the SMART goal check: Is each goal Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant to your life or business mission and Time bound?
4. Believe that you can achieve: Visualize achieving your goal to the extent that you can literally feel the satisfaction or excitement of achievement.
5. Identify clear action steps that will move you toward your goal. Write them down and share them with all stakeholders.
6. Get buy-in from anyone who needs to support you in achieving the goals. You may want to find a coach to hold you accountable to your action plan.
7. Revisit your goal list frequently; celebrate and even reward completion of significant action steps; and visualize both accomplishing the goal and accomplishing your next steps toward goal achievement.
8. Keep a record of goals achieved. Revisit this list when you feel frustrated, and celebrate past success to reinforce for yourself and others that you really are a goal achiever.
9. If your progress is slow, remember that timelines to success can be changed without ever diminishing your goal.
Once you are crystal clear, you need to find ways to hold yourself accountable. Whether clarifying your vision, setting goals, developing an action plan or holding yourself accountable, you may need a partner to help you keep moving forward.

Carol Kerr is a certified coach specializing in communications and management coaching. She is also an adjunct faculty member with the Community College of Baltimore County and Anne Arundel Community College. She can be contacted at 410-349-1998 and carolkerr@www.futurefocuscoaching.com.