Using Vision to change your life – Part II

This is part II of "Using Vision to change your life".  To read part I please Click Here.

So, how do you go about creating your own unique vision for financial prosperity?  As I was writing this presentation I struggled with this question.  I really wish that I could say that it is as easy as 1.2.3.. And I really thought that I could break down what I did into a plan that anybody could follow.  But the truth is that there is no simple step by step method.  At least, not one that I have figured out that can work for everybody.

What I’ve realized is that everybody realizes their own vision through different methods.  Some through tragedy.  Some through frustration.  Some by inspiration.  I can only summarize how I created mine and hope it provides some guidance and inspiration.  Here is the simple breakdown of how it happened.

1.  First I had a thought that created an urge and a desire.  After realizing that owning my own business would be the most likely way I could create wealth I started to really get excited about doing it.  I just had no idea what type of business it could be and how I would actually do it.

2. I took a small action step and bought the first bike.  By this point I had been fantasizing about owning a business for years.  On an almost daily basis I came up with a new idea for a business.  And some of them were really, really good ones.  But as soon as the idea would enter my head, I would become completely overwhelmed with the enormity of it all.  This would in turn prevent me from doing anything.  Fear had a lot to do with it.  I could always immediately find enough reasons for why I wouldn’t be able to make it happen, therefore I never got past the idea stage.  The moment I took the first tiny little step at the beginning of NPD the next step showed itself to me.  I believe that is how it works.

3.  I added intention when I decided what I wanted for my life. The moment I figured out that my primary aim in life was to always have the courage to tell the truth, the direction of the business took on new meaning.  Once I had something more important that just making money, something special started to happen.  I felt like I had a compass that could guide any decision that I needed to make.  And it felt like my work now had worth and value to everybody, not just me.

4. I wrote it down on paper.  I don’t know why it is, but things become much more real when it goes from just thought to being written down.  Taking the time to write down your plan creates a strong picture of what it is your trying to create.  That is what “vision” really is.

There is a part of creating a vision, or plan for the future, that cannot be understated.  It is the most important thing to start with.  You must start with the belief that you can do it.  You can do everything above and fail miserably if you don’t really believe in your heart that you are capable and worthy of achieving whatever it is that you want.  One of my favorite quotes comes from Henry Ford.  He said, “whether you think you can or think you can’t, your right”.

Our lives today are the result of our thoughts of yesterday. If you want something different in your life, then it all starts with changing your thoughts.  Nothing that exists today could be without somebody thinking it first.  That is incredibly liberating to realize.  You have the power to create anything that you want, but it isn’t going to happen unless you dedicate the time and energy towards creating that vision.  It takes work.  It is difficult.  All you have to do is try to focus on one single thought for 5 minutes before you realize that it is extremely hard to do.  Our minds wander and focus on many things in a short amount of time.  The more you work on developing your ability to focus on what you want, the quicker it will happen for you.

I believe that there is a force at work in all of our lives that we can’t fully understand.  Call it whatever you want.  God, Jesus, Buddah,, the Universe, etc. This force is just waiting to provide you with whatever you need in this world.  Whatever you focus upon is what it provides to you.  This force is always working, whether you are aware of it or not.  The more you focus on what you want, the better the results.  The clearer your vision, the better the result.

I saw something the other day that illustrated it perfectly for me.  Have you seen the new 3D material printers?  They can “print” three dimensional things seemingly out of thin air.  The printer basically has three main parts.  The material that things are built with, the mechanism that creates it and the computer that inputs the design to be created.  It can make anything that you want, but it has to have that design input perfectly into the computer.  Without a plan it would just produce a pile of goo.  So the same machine that can make a perfect yoda head, as seen in the video below, would just make a pile of plastic goo if it was turned on without a plan for what to make.  Same machine, same material.  The only difference is the clarity in how it is programmed.



So, what if the universe works in exactly the same way (which I think it does)?  The universe will provide an unlimited amount of “material” for you to create your vision.  It is the mechanism that turns that material into reality.  And you are the computer that tells it what to create.  Just like you don’t need to understand how the printer turns your design into a yoda head, you don’t need to worry about how the universe will turn your thoughts into reality.  Just have faith that it does.

Here is the catch, and it’s a scary one.  This printer is always on.  It is constantly moving material out of its nozzle.  You cannot turn it off.  And your thoughts are the computer input.  The clearer the input, the better the output.  By the way, we all have access and are connected to the same printer.  Successful people don't have access to a bigger, better, faster printer.  It might seem that way, but what is really going on is that they know how to input better designs (thoughts/visions).

But the key to financial prosperity is to use the printer to create something that has value to others.  You can use the printer to create things that only benefit you, but that is not going to create nearly as much wealth. For example, I could have continued just selling motorcycles to make more money than what I was making off my mutual funds.  But  I turbocharged the company when I changed the mindset from just making money to creating a better value for my customers.  The byproduct was that they chose my company to give their money to instead of another shop.  That is because I focused my creative power on building value for others, not just selfishly on my own needs.

Everybody has a gift.  Use yours in creating your vision. If you create a picture of what you want that is based on what you love to do, you have a great chance of succeeding. And if you build something that also has great value to others you will be wildly successful. Pile of goo, or perfect Yoda head? It all depends on your vision.