Visionally Impaired

I confess to being visionally impaired. And I am not referencing my poor eyesight, which has been my lot since fourth grade.

I lack vision. I have a few dreams now and then, and can get excited about a big project as much as the next guy. But creating and selling a vision for the future--not so much. I listened to a school administrator the other day lay out his vision for the next six years. It was compelling, captivating, and exciting. However, I mostly left the meeting feeling jealous. "Boy, I wish I could do that," was my predominant thought.

For the visionally impaired like me, here are a few suggestions.

1. Don't throw in the towel. You have vision. You may be unwilling to do the hard work of articulating the vision, but it is there, lying dormant.

2. Surround yourself with people who are more future oriented. You must have people who ask annoying questions like, "What is our purpose?" and "Why not?" and "Have we ever thought about. . .?"

3. Set aside time to dream. Get away from the crush of the daily and dream, strategize, meditate, whatever you want to call it, just do it.

4. Start small if you have to. Select one area of your work or personal life that needs a new vision. Focus on one thing, not a dozen.

5. Ask yourself this hard question. "Am I clueless when it comes to vision or is the problem simply that I am afraid to fail?" It could be the vision or the solution is staring you in the face. You just don't want to take a risk. The status quo is awfully comfortable isn't it?

I am a doer. Give me a “to do” list with ten items and I am a happy camper. But the truth is, vision determines what should and should not be on the list.

Vision is not optional.