It's Tuesday at 2:00pm! (PST Time: I live and work from Southern California)
WHAT DO YOU SEE?
Do you ever just stop what you're doing and try to envision what is to come?
Many times we are working with our head down, trying to get things done, and we forget to stop and take a look and simply "imagine" what this thing we're doing will look like.
We've been talking about aspects of a start-up or launching an organization over the past number of weeks. You can read the thread of posts HERE, and I'll keep moving forward but want to encourage you to do 2 things today:
First, STOP WHAT YOU'RE DOING
We don't do this enough. We are in constant motion, always going from one place to the next. We have a difficult time being still, and often as we move at a rapid pace, we try to catch a glimpse of where we're going, but we're moving so fast we can't see it. Just take a moment and STOP.
Second, TAKE A MOMENT TO ENVISION WHAT YOU'RE CREATING
The word "envision" actually means, "imagine as a future possibility; visualize." Sometimes we are working so hard on a project, task, or problem that we have no idea what we want it to look like when we finally finish it or when we figure it out. We don't know fully what it is we're hoping to have in the end. Learning to see a potential picture of what it is we're working towards will make all the difference.
In the LifePlanning Experience, one of the conversations we have is around VISION, and I often ask the question, "What do you see in 10 years?" I clarify that by asking some deeper questions... What will your family look like in 10 years? What will your work look like in 10 years? What will your church or community experience be in 10 years? I encourage clients to STOP and try to paint of picture of what they want to work towards. They begin to create an image of what they are working towards, and this drives every task, every decision and everything goal. (We'll talk about Goals next week...)
I remember vividly when I was asked the question, "What do you envision about your family in 10 years?" This is what I pictured: I imagined my family, and something I see in the future is simply that we enjoy being together, spending time together and we are always working on some kind of epic family trip or experience. The image that I got was in 10 years, continuing to have a great time with my kids, their spouses, and my grandkids (when they come)!
This image caused Gina and I to begin working towards 2 epic trips... the first was a trip to Hawaii with our 3 kids, celebrating our 30th wedding anniversary. The second was an epic family trip to Ecuador to see our daughter who was working there, and to celebrate our son and future daughter-in-laws wedding by doing a crazy trip with the in-laws to see and experience our life in Ecuador. Our future son-in-law was also able to experience Ecuador at the same time, so it was a WIN all around.
These 2 trips didn't just happen. It took work, money, time, energy and discipline, but they are both connected to that picture I saw of a family that wants to be together and works hard to experience life together.
Now it's time to start working on that next family experience!
What do you see? Where are you heading?
Today I just want to encourage you to do these 2 things:
First, STOP
Second, LOOK FORWARD
Try to envision what it is you're working towards.
If you're doing a start-up, what will this organization look like in 10 - 15 years? What do you want it to look like in the future?
If you're working on a project, what are your desired outcomes? What are you hoping this project will accomplish?
If you're building a team, what does that team look like in the future and how will that team function?
If you're making some personal changes or transitions, where do you see yourself being 5 years from now? 10 years from now?
If you're building a healthier organization or company, what does health look like?
When you begin to envision your future, you'll be able to create a clear path to get there.
Last story...
I was climbing a mountain one time in Ecuador. It was a brutal climb. The mountain was called Sincholagua, and it's a 16,000 foot volcano in Ecuador. The mountain is known for it's rock slides, and it was just painful. My friend Rick, who was "dragging" me up a series of mountains, said to me, "Russ, do you see that top? That's where we're doing. Keep moving!" And I did.
We summited that mountain because I began to see myself at the top of that peak.
That image is probably the only thing that kept me moving up that sliding-rock snowy trail. Thanks Rick for reminding me of where we were heading!
"If you talk about it, it's a dream. If you envision it, it's possible. But if you schedule it, it's real." Tony Robbins
"It always seems impossible until it's done." Nelson Mandela
"The first step toward creating an improved future is developing the ability to envision it." Tony Dungy
Things I'm Reading, Listening To, an Watching This Week:
Gina and I enjoyed watching the movie this week, "Just Mercy". Really good story with Michael B. Jordan and Jamie Foxx. Difficult to watch but a great true story.
I'm enjoying this book by Les McKeown, "Predictable Success: Getting Your Organization on the Growth Track - And Keeping it There" Thanks Phil for the tip.
Harry Connick Jr. does it all! I enjoyed listening to this playlist this past week. Great music and great sound.
My friend Woody posted a comment to my mention of Phil Collins and Don Henley. Woody shared about 2 other drummers that need mention. Check out Levon Helm and Roger Taylor (with Brian May of Queen) Woody, I'm still learning about music from you!
We enjoy this Suja Mighty Dozen juice from Costco. We buy the 46 oz. bottle. It's loaded with all kinds of organic ingredients.
I had a call with one of my friends and ministry partners, Oscar, from Ecuador. If you want to be inspired through business development to help people break out of poverty, watch what they're doing in the scope of entrepreneurial training. Their impact is skyrocketing! Pan de Vida.
I listened to an interested podcast this week from The Michael Hyatt Company called "Focus On This". In this episode they share some good thoughts on hobbies.
OK. I ate some of these this week and can't buy another bag, but you can! Enjoy them! Trader Joes Peanut Butter Filled Pretzels.