ACTivity/ Unblock Your Vision

Photo by Novia Wu on Unsplash

Manila, 15 January 2020 — These three steps help you create a bigger vision.

Last week we looked at the Three Vision Mistakes that will hold you back: Goals without a Vision, Vision without a Future, and Vision from the Past. 

Did you find yourself making any of these mistakes?

This week, let’s look at how you can unblock unhelpful mental conditioning to create your vision the right way, which will give you the confidence you need to achieve the goals for 2020 and the new decade.

We will break this into three steps.

Step 1: Create Three Possibilities

The first step is to create new possibilities to pilot your career. The operative word is New. This is actually harder than it sounds, and that’s why you need to set aside some time to make this happen. 

It’s all too easy to remain blocked by unhelpful conditioning that makes you forego the creation of truly new possibilities.

The tool we use for this in the Grow3Leaders community is to map out your Skills, Strengths, and Shares, and find where they overlap. It’s in that space that you create new possibilities for your vision.

Step 2: Me in 2030

To avoid the mistake of creating a vision without future, the second step is to transport yourself to a future that’s significantly further away from the present. This is also harder than it sounds, yet an exercise will help you do it.

The Me in 2030 tool will help you define what your life and work can look like ten years from now. Filling out the template we use in Grow3Leaders takes both imagination and courage. 

You need to step outside your self-limiting beliefs to visualize what you can be, do, and have. It works, as many have discovered. Doing this exercise is a rewarding experience and helps you stretch your vision into the future.

Step 3: 10k is Yours

To avoid the mistake of creating a vision from the past, the third step is one of experiential learning to embody change, to be the change as Gandhi said.

To start, the 10k here is not about running a distance. 

10k is Yours refers to the concept of Ten Thousand Things used by the Dao philosophers to point out the realm of infinite and timeless possibilities that you and all of us have access to, even though many of us are not aware of that yet. 

Accessing this state of boundless and timeless awareness sets you free from the restrictive mental conditioning that produces visions limited by beliefs and understandings that have already outlived their usefulness. Those visions won’t serve you well where you are now, let alone for the future.

Past Programming

To unblock yourself to create a good vision that suits your potential, you don’t want to remain shackled or handcuffed to your past mental programming, which is how most people live. You want to be able to set and achieve goals that go far beyond that mental mindset of your past.

Put in simple terms, one of my favorite TED talks on leadership has Professor Rosabeth Moss Kanter refer to the six keys for positive change. The third key, she says, is to Look Up.

When you look up, it’s easier to step outside your day-to-day boundaries and past conditioning, to tap a higher inspiration, an expanded awareness, and discover or be reminded of your bigger purpose.

Look Up is the kind of experience you are looking to create in your third step.

The 10k is Yours tool we use in Grow3Leaders helps you take this third step in creating your vision. It can alter your perception of what is possible for you to achieve with a vision that you embody. That’s where transformation comes into the picture—it is different from change.  

New Year and Decade

When you follow the three steps, it will help you unblock yourself of unhelpful programming so that you can create your vision the right way. That experience will empower you to set and achieve the goals you want for your new year and decade. 

Let’s get back to where we started. Most new-year resolutions fail because they lack a vision that has depth and future and is transformative for you to be the change you want to see.

By creating your vision the right way, you can be confident that you can actually achieve the goals you set. Isn’t that what you and I and everyone want?

If you like the idea of creating your vision with the three steps, you’re welcome to come and practice it in the Grow3Leaders community, where Vision is the theme for this month. 

Joining Grow3Leaders is free of charge, yet not free of commitment.

We are looking for high achievers who want to develop a big vision for the work and personal life, and who are not afraid to learn, share, and collaborate with peer leaders.

If that sounds good to you, it may be a good fit. Visit Grow3Leaders to request your invitation.

Best wishes for creating your vision for 2020 and the new decade the right way!