Essential Vision – The Beginning, but not the End

Vision is nothing more than a complete plan. Being able to see ahead of time, the full scope of your goal, and what it will mean to achieve it, as well as the steps to getting there. All of those elements are necessary, and there are all sorts of ways to gain a full vision of where you are going.

A business plan is nothing more than a detailed documentation of your business vision, completed with the components necessary to get you there. Many people who begin a business do not have an idea of where they are even going, much less of how they will get there. If you ask them, they will reply, “I want to be rich and famous.” But if you ask them what that means, they don’t really even know.

Between vision, and accomplishment, lies the wide gulf of work, determination, and smart adaptation. Many people start out with a good idea, but fail to achieve. The quote about planning to fail and failure to plan is not the full truth – many who plan, fail to plan completely, but even more, fail to DO.

The thing about doing is, you have to KEEP doing. Some people don’t even get off the ground. They’ll make a first step, then abandon it. Others will make an effort, but when it proves harder than they’d though, they let it dribble off into nothing. Still others get somewhere with it, until they meet an obstacle which requires that they adjust their plan, at which point they are incapable of doing so. It is the exception that succeeds, by passing all of these challenges and embarking on a lifetime of growth, learning, and adjustment. Business is all that, and more.

A good business vision will be crafted with the understanding that there will be unexpected challenges. That the entire course may take longer than anticipated, that opportunities may present, or roadblocks may arise which necessitate a change in course, either temporarily, or permanently. Most successful businesses are in a constant state of flux and change. The changes keep them moving in the direction they need to go to grow.

It does begin with a vision – the steps, the pieces, the end concept. Getting that means you need some quiet time, and maybe a way to draw, write, or diagram your grand plan. Any way that makes sense to you is fine.

Then you focus on what you need to do now, to make your vision a reality. A list of prioritized tasks. A planned time each day to fit in the work.

At that point, you are still dead in the water if you do not get up the next day, and go to it. Start down that list of tasks, and accomplish them one by one. Keep getting up each day and working through your tasks, keep adding to your task list, prioritizing, and crossing off as you achieve.  Get used to it. It has to happen every day that you intend to be a successful business person. Without consistent, repeated, intelligent action, no business succeeds.

There are no shortcut systems. Anyone who promises that there are wants your money, and doesn’t care whether you gain from it or not. It is against the laws of nature to get return without work. If you want success, roll up your sleeves and get to it.

What is your vision? And what are you doing about it?