Define a Vision First, Make a Plan Second

by Joseph Kennedy

What does success look like to you?

If you can’t answer this question right now, you’re going to have to have a good old think about it. Once you’ve got some sort of answer, you can begin developing that idea into something concrete that you can turn into a vision and help define how you will get there.

This form of critical thinking applies not only to business but to every aspect of your life. What is your end goal? Doing things aimlessly and without conviction are surefire ways to fail.

I want to help you avoid that.

vision 

Sustainability Entrepreneurs... Assemble!

Ask yourself these three questions:

  • What does my business have to achieve for it to be a success?
  • At what point will I feel successful thanks to my business?
  • What does your successful business look like in your imagination?
  • How can you change the world or have an impact?
  • How do you embed your idea in mainstream society?
  • Once you reach your vision, what next?
  • Where do you want to be in one year?
  • Where do you want to be in five years?

You have to keep on asking these questions, getting more detailed each time so that eventually you can pinpoint what your business looks like. If you’re working in a team, hold a meeting and get all of your ideas and visions out in the open. If you’re working alone, be ruthless in questioning yourself. The better you develop your vision, the more likely it will actualise.

 

Visualisation is a vehicle

When you get in your car, you don’t just drive, you have to first know where you’re going. If you don’t know where you’re going, how could you possibly get there?

When you have a vision for success, the steps in-between become much clearer and formulating them into a plan becomes far simpler. Defining your vision gives you something to work towards, a well-rounded idea as opposed to a loose concept.

 

Alternatively…

For some people, having a vision means knowing exactly what you’re working towards. For others, having a clear vision means that every step you take, every milestone you hit, and every success you experience, all bring the vision closer to you. Depending on how you think, it might be better to bring the vision closer to you, instead of moving yourself closer to the vision.

 

The universe will conspire to help you

You might not want to believe it, but coincidences aren’t really coincidences, they occur by being in the right place at the right time, and to be in the right place, you must be on the right path. If you have a solidified vision of success and can map out your route there, the universe will conspire to help you. This might seem a bit sci-fi, but putting yourself on the right path attracts the right energy, ideas, people, and coincidences.

Luck doesn’t put satellites in orbit. Someone’s vision of getting a satellite in the sky and making it happen was what got the satellite there. The experts, the science, the funding. Throughout the whole process, there would surely be slices of ‘luck’ or coincidences, but they would never have occurred had there not been a collective of people working towards a shared vision.

 Optimized-nasa-43564-unsplash

Athletes don’t start by thinking about loss.

They think about medals, points, victories, fame, legacy, and then, they think about all of the rewards that come with it.

So, what happens when you achieve the desired success? Since success doesn’t necessarily follow an exact figure, target, or timeline, it can be more subjective, a feeling even. One great way to continue growing and being successful is to see your vision as a milestone and a wonderful foundation for further successes.

 

Remember: The vision of success is something to be shared, in order to create a common goal for everyone to work towards.

 

Have you joined up to our  "6 Week Welcome Email Series" yet? This takes you incrementally through setting a vision and generating ideas. Click the button below.

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