About 6 years ago, I drew the picture below for a course I was running which involved Visioning, (no laughing at my lack of artistic talent). A client asked me how we were getting on working towards the Vision. The house on the left is a replica of the one we have just bought. Funny how these things work at an unconscious level.
Our Vision hasn’t been fully attained just yet though. Phase 2: the garden office / move up to the Lakes, when Mike retires. Since I drew this, we have been blessed with our little miracle, Daisy and I’ve kind of gone off the idea of a Porsche 911. You can’t beat having kids for shifting your values!
Knowing where you’re heading enables you to plan. For example, to get Beee ready, I’m starting to make minor changes to our strategy, such as: using Skype for Coaching, (I still want to be able to service my East Midlands based clients), and identifying where I lack experience, as the market is different in the Lake District.
The Purpose of a Vision:
- To inspire and keep the fire burning in your belly. When I meet businesses that are struggling, I tend to find their ‘fire’ has gone out.
- To keep you on track through difficult times. What’s your reason for doing what you do?
- To draw relevant parties together and get them working in unison towards the same thing. What would your team say if they were asked:
- Where is this business heading?
- How are you contributing towards that?
3 Simple Questions to Get You Thinking About Your Vision:
- What do you want to become in 3, 5, 7 years time, (you determine the period)?
- What do you want to be doing in the future?
- What do you want to have in the future?
Then, if you’re fairly visual, have a go at drawing your Vision or have a Blue Peter session and create a collage of ideas cut from magazines. Finally, ‘A vision without action is just a dream. Action without vision is a nightmare.’ (Chinese Proverb), therefore, next stop: your Strategy and Plan.
Depending on the size of your business, you may be able to access funding towards the cost of us working together. Contact us for more information.
