The One Quality That All Who Successfully Play BIG Have in Common

“Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to walk from here?”
“That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,” said the Cat.
“I don’t much care where,” said Alice.
“Then it doesn’t matter which way you walk,” said the Cat.

Whenever I talk about the importance of having a vision, I am reminded of the words of Lewis Carroll in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, when Alice meets the Cheshire cat sitting in a tree.

The one quality that all who successfully play big have in common is that they have a clear “going forward” vision. These folks understand that they can have almost complete control of their future and are focused on being the master of their circumstances, as opposed to a victim of them. They take the time to think through and develop a clear picture of where they or their organization needs to be no more than three years from the present. They then work each day to make their vision a reality. There are, of course, setbacks and barriers. However, the clarity of their vision, perseverance and self-discipline allows them to push through anything that gets in their way to achieve success.

I also recommend that when you create your vision you keep these two key points in the forefront of your mind:

1. Don’t think of your vision as a rigid, “final product” with every detail pinned down.

Think of it more as a series of guideposts of key topics to focus attention on and targets to aim for; and

2. Regularly review your vision, evaluate it, and revise it as needed.

Keep questioning your assumptions. Stay flexible and open to change.

Your vision does not have to be perfect to get started. I recently heard a speaker say that it can be like driving your car, cross country, on a dark road at night and you can only see as far as the end of the light cast by your headlights. While you can’t see very far ahead, and the conditions are far from perfect, you can make the entire trip that way if you stay focused and keep moving forward. Don’t let what you can’t see hold you back from creating your vision for the first part of your journey.