Do you ever think about where you’re heading in life? It can be so easy to stay head down and focused on getting the job done, but every now and then you need to look up from the day-to-day to ask the question, “Where am I going?”
You need to develop a vision for your future, but I’m not talking about having a self-centred, unrealistic vision of grandeur where everything in life goes your way. A vision is simply a picture of where you are headed.
When you develop a vision deep inside you, it determines your future—positive or negative. If the future you envision is hopeless, you won’t succeed. However, if you can see yourself rising above every challenge, that vision is the first step toward making it happen.
Actually, until you can picture success, you only have mental assent. You agree mentally that something can be done, but you can’t actually picture it happening to you. The problem is, just knowing something is possible doesn’t make it happen; you need to believe.
Sometimes a vision for the future can just seem to drop into your mind, but more often it is something you need to intentionally seek out. You need to picture it; close your eyes until you can envision it in your life.
If you find yourself saying things like “I could never see myself getting that promotion,” start imagining yourself there. If you think “I could never dream of owning my own business,” why not? You have one life to live. Are you going to let yourself be limited by what others think of you? Refuse to let yourself be controlled by defeating thoughts and judgmental people.
Having a vision is only step one. It takes effort, determination and the willingness to build skill to bring that vision into reality. And hanging on to the vision is just as crucial.
Few people keep a vision long enough to see it come to pass. Their vision becomes dimmed by impatience, discouragement and negative people who say it can’t be done. To avoid disappointment, many stop expecting good things to happen and they resort to complaining—which is only an outward expression of a negative vision. Meanwhile, wouldn’t you rather pursue a dream and fall short than expect nothing and meet that goal?
What do you imagine for your future? Develop a positive expectation and don’t let go. Don’t be concerned at first if you don’t have a plan of how to get there. Picture where you want to go first, and then develop strategies for getting there.
Remember, what you currently see in your world is only temporary. What you envision can change everything.
Leon Fontaine is internationally renowned for his ability to equip people with skills for life. He is the CEO of Miracle Channel and senior pastor of Springs, a contemporary church with six campuses across Western Canada. Visit www.leonfontaine.com for more great articles as well as weekly videos and podcasts. Email your comments to [email protected].