Craft a Purpose Driven Life

One thing that I have noticed about successful people is that they all seem to have a clear vision of exactly where they are going. They may not know all things in the middle but they definitely know what to expect in the end. Not only do they know but they will not let the picture die. They will constantly look past the present circumstances to see the end result.

A good example of what I am talking about comes to mind when I remember a movie that I once watched. In the movie a woman had a vision of moving a group of orphaned troubled inner city children from Philadelphia to a farm in Washington State. With very few resources and an old school bus which had to be brought back from death she proceeded across the country to their new destination. Whenever anyone in the movie told her what she didn't have she seemed to not even hear them. They eventually arrived at their destination but no other personality would have been able to accomplish this task of taking the children across country. The person with a vision may seem to ignore reality but that is really not the case.

The successful person simply chooses not to let the present reality dictate the future situation. He or she will have often put him or herself in a position where there is almost no other choice but to continue on. Sometimes success is born out of desperation. The desperate person will scratch and kick and claw until there is nothing left or until it is just not physically possible to continue. The person with a clear vision doesn't just waste time spinning his or her wheels in space. He or she knows what is required to get from point A to point B and won't waste time with anything which doesn't serve to move in the desired direction. It seems as if they have actually been to the destination and have seen what it looks like. You must have a clear purpose and goal in order to be successful. The person with vision sees what no one else sees. The woman in the movie looked at the old bus which wouldn't crank but, saw the transportation that she needed to go clear across the country. Nothing ventured means nothing gained.

The person with the vision will look at a dilapidated old building and see it as the mansion that it is to become. The task of getting there will not overwhelm them because their focus is on the end result and not the process. When you look at where you need to be don't place too much stock on your present circumstances. Hard work will get you to where you want to go. It's just a matter of time and the harder that you work now the less time it will take. I have discovered that there is a special intimacy which comes with writing the vision. I would say that you should write it frequently. Each time that you write it becomes more of a part of you. Each time you spend the time and effort to write it down you become more intimate with it. Remember the unruly child who would be disciplined in school by having to write on the blackboard. That was actually a useful punishment because it sought to cause that child to internalize the thing that he or she wrote. Write your vision, rehearse it, visualize it, and speak it. Once you do all of these things expect it to come to pass.

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Surya M Ganduri, PhD. PMP. is the founder and president of eMBC, Inc., an international firm specializing in strategic and executive leadership development processes that Help People Succeed in an Evolving World. He is  dedicated to helping organizations and individuals manage strategic change, innovation, cultural transition, and goal achievement. Surya has over 27 years of business experience in management consulting, leadership development, executive coaching, process improvements, organizational development and youth leadership. Contact Surya at s6ganduri@eMBCinc.com. For more information, visit www.eMBCinc.com or contact eMBC, Inc., directly at (630) 445-1321.