Giving your life clear direction
The Cambridge Dictionary defines vision as an “idea or mental image of something.” It’s like having a glimpse of what is desired.
In 1950, Brazil hosted the FIFA World Cup and had planned a big celebration to commemorate winning the trophy. Unfortunately, it did not happen. Uruguay won 2-1 at The Maracanã and broke the hearts of over 53 million people. The real story here, however, is that of a nine-year-old boy named Edson Arantes do Nascimento, KBE (popularly known as Pelé). Sympathizing with his distraught father, he promised to win the World Cup for him. Exactly eight years later in Sweden, Pelé at age 17, became the youngest player to win the World Cup, along with the Samba boys.
For Pelé, his personal vision was to make his father proud. In the bigger picture, he became arguably the greatest footballer the world has ever seen.
This is how all great things start – a clear personal vision.
So what is a ‘PERSONAL VISION’?
Simply put, a vision is a clear picture of your desired outcome and future.
When you talk about personal vision, another remarkable person that easily comes to mind is the founder of Apple Inc, the late Steve Jobs. His vision was clear and simple: “To put a computer in the hands of everyday people.” Today, his vision has become a reality we are living in. So, you see, it is critical for you – whoever you are – to have a personal vision for your life. You never know if making that vision a reality can just be the next best thing to happen to our world.
Have you experienced traveling to a new city or a tourist destination and all you know is where you are going? Definitely, your knowledge of the destination determines how you navigate the city. Imagine driving around town going nowhere in particular, how will you get “there”? You see, a personal vision helps you to find the roadmap to where you want to go..
Now, let’s consider three things about the power of personal vision:
- It gives your life a clear direction. Your vision answers the question “Where are you going?” Once you understand and know that, then you can move to the next stage, which is how to get there. In the open sky, airplane pilots rely solely on maps and navigation equipment to get the aircraft and passengers safely to their destinations. Imagine, a pilot oblivious of the flight destination, the most accurate maps and navigation equipment won’t be of any help to him. Your personal vision helps you to navigate life’s airways.
- A personal vision helps you to galvanise the resources you need to make your vision a reality. Habitually, some folks complain that they do not get support to actualise their dreams and desires. Perhaps, the reason is that people do not think you have a clear vision for your life or they are not convinced you are going somewhere! For example, it is difficult to figure out and back someone who cannot hold down a job or prefers to while away their days dreaming up get-rich-quick schemes. A personal vision is like the architectural model for your life that makes it easy for others to build with you. People will be willing to help when you are clear on something to build.
- Lastly, a personal vision helps you to know the price you need to pay for your dreams to become reality. There is no vision worth its salt that does not have a ‘price tag’. At every stage of life, you need to do some self-examination to gauge your progress. What you are willing to do to see your vision or dream become a reality will determine what your future will be.
Having an idea of what you want to do is critical. As you go about your daily routine, keeping an eye on that future, you are definitely on your path to living your dream.
Never forget, you have only one life to live; make it count!
