The value of a
workable vision
Quick Quiz
If you answered ‘yes’ to any of the above, the chances are
that you are operating without a workable vision for your life.
Whoever we are, life is inevitably going to present us with
challenges. If we don’t know how best to respond to them, if we’re unclear
about our direction, about how to mobilize our resources, about what is
possible and desirable for us, then we’re going to experience a great deal more
distress than we need to. At times like these, a workable vision can (no
kidding!) mean the difference between anguish and joy. When things are going
more smoothly, too, a workable vision enables us to maximise our satisfaction,
minimise stress and strain and move quickly towards those goals that mean most
to us.
So what is a ‘workable vision’? Well, we all have a vision
whether we consciously acknowledge the fact or not. It’s how we’re made. If we
feel limited and blocked in life that is a response to our vision. If we feel
expansive, joyful and confident, that too is a response to our vision.
Our vision has several components. It’s made up of what we
know about ourselves, what our capabilities are, our strengths and talents, our
dreams and deepest desires. At another level, our vision contains the goals
which are right for us as well as the effective means to achieve them. Another
level is our personal resources, our belief in ourselves and the validity of
our pursuits. Here, too, is inspiration. Many would say and, personally I agree,
that at the highest level, giving meaning to everything else, is our
spirituality, our core beliefs about the value and purpose of life.
The challenge for many of us is that our vision has more or
less happened to us as a result of our life experience. We may still hear the
voices of our critics from early years, the teachers who told us we weren’t
bright, parents who scolded or worried too much, and these undermine our belief
in ourselves. We may carry limiting beliefs about what is possible for us after
unfortunate encounters or traumatic episodes. Some of us lose touch with our
true calling because influential figures disapproved of that kind of thing and
now we don’t understand why we feel so unfulfilled. All this and more is
nothing unusual. For nearly all of us, our vision is obstructed in some way.
The good news is that we can re-make our vision so that it
works for us in every area, rather than hindering us. We can develop a workable
vision. When we develop a workable vision we will know the goals that really
mean something to us, possibly for the first time, and we will be empowered to
follow them. A workable vision will tune you into the real opportunities before
you and filter out the irrelevant, saving time, energy and overload. It will energize
and inspire you. It will bring balance to your life. It will sustain you in
time of difficulties.
So how do we get such a beneficial vision for ourselves? The
starting point is increased self knowledge. We need to see very clearly what our deepest longings and
needs are. We need to know our true potential, to clear away the doubts and
limiting beliefs that can obscure our strengths (many of which may be
completely hidden from us). Having identified our true goals in life, we need
then to connect with and mobilise our resources so that we can achieve them.
There are many fine books available to help us in this –
yet, working alone with books, we can still miss so many truths about
ourselves. For most of us, to truly know ourselves intimately, we need to speak
from the heart to a trusted, wise and perceptive person who will see and uphold
our potential, help us identify and clear away doubts and confusion, who will
replace the critical voices with an affirming and inspiring one. The best of us only see ourselves from the
inside and often we need someone else to see us and bring forth our best
attributes, our hidden longings, our strengths and talents.
If you’re lucky enough to have a friend, teacher or
spiritual advisor who can help you in this, that’s great. In my opinion (and I
admit I’m biased. I’m a coach, after all) the quickest and most effective way
to develop a workable vision is to find a coach you can trust. If you’d like to
be the joyful (and fairly rare in this modern world) possessor of a workable
vision, please call me for a free no-strings introductory session to see if we
could work well together.
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