If you have ever heard a sermon at church or a motivational message from a great speaker, you have probably heard the term VISION thrown around from time to time. Before I get into the information in depth here, I would like to define the word VISION according to Webster’s Dictionary.
vi⋅sion
–noun
1. the act or power of sensing with the eyes: sight
2. the act or power of anticipating that which will or may come to be; prophetic vision
3. an experience in which a person, thing, or event appears vividly or credibly to the mind although not actually present
You are probably most familiar with the 1st definition and if you are blessed by God to see everyday, you experience this in your life firsthand. The next two definitions is something we must get accustomed to and implement in our lives if we are to have success.
So in order to have success you must have a vision! Most people are not successful in different areas of their lives because they just have an idea! Visions aren’t easily forgotten or pushed to the side, but ideas come and go. Let’s look at the definition of idea.
i⋅de⋅a
–noun
1. any thought, conception, or notion
2. an impression thought of at one moment
3. an opinion, view, or belief
Any person; determined or not, motivated or not, ambitious or not, committed or not, can come up with a BRIGHT idea or a GREAT opinion! Ideas and opinions will get you only a short distance when trying to accomplish long term goals. Success begins with opinions and ideas, but are accomplished through vision!
Another saying you might have heard is “Dream Big!” Many of us have dreams. There is nothing wrong with having dreams but one thing, and that one thing is REALITY! The reality is that no matter how BIG your dreams are, if you don’t have a vision you will never reach your dreams. To be clear; having a dream and having a vision are TOTALLY different. The person that is dreaming is asleep, while the person that has a vision is wide awake and clearly sees where they’re going and how to get there.
Many people believe that they are less likely to become successful because of where they currently are in life or the past failures they’ve experienced. This is what typically holds people back from developing and maintaining their vision.
You should never despise small beginnings. Here are a few examples of what a humble start could turn into if you develop VISION:
In the 1890s there was a salesman named David H. McConnell Sr. that sold bibles door to door. He wanted to have a successful company and thought of different ways to influence his customers to buy. To persuade his potential customers to buy his bibles he would entice them with a small bottle of perfume. What David begin to notice is that the women who answered the door would be more interested in getting the bottles of perfume than they were in getting the bibles. So David decided to go into the perfume business and started a company called California Perfume Company. Years later California Perfume Company became what we know today as Avon. Today Avon is now doing over $10 Billion in annual sales and operates in over 170 countries. All of this came from a man selling bibles door to door that had a vision of one day having a very successful company!
If you like to cook or if you are into cooking shows, you have probably heard of the company, The Pampered Chef. In 1980, Doris Christopher started this company in her basement and had a vision that one day she would have a company that would change the lives of women and become a financial success. A company started in a basement plus vision equals Warren Buffet purchasing the company from her in 2002 for $500 Million. Doris made half a BILLION DOLLARS from a business started in her basement! Vision is critical!
One of the many reasons why my newest venture, along with my partners, will work, is because there is a VISION behind Elite Profit Network. Everything that is a Tremendous Success today, started as a VISION of one or more great leaders and visionaries.
This concept is not only applicable just in business but you can apply this to every area of your life! If you aspire to have a successful marriage, you need to start developing a vision for that and start talking about it. If you wish to have better health and longer life, you need to start seeing yourself in optimal health and living life to the fullest!
If you don’t have a vision, associate yourself with someone or a group of individuals that do. You are who you hang around and you are who you listen to. In the meantime, stay plugged into our blogs and conference calls until you arrive at the point of success, whatever that means to you!
God bless and good luck in your endeavors,
Reco McDaniel