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Summit
Training / Part 1 of 3
Vision
for a Lifetime
You
Must Have a Vision of the Mountaintop
if You Want to Get to
the Top of the Mountain
by
Marc Fey
"And
in the end it's not the years in your life that count.
It's the life in your years." Abe
Lincoln
As
my two oldest kids, both boys, approach manhood, I find
myself thinking about what it will take for them to carve
out their place in the world. These are common
thoughts, I am sure, for every father who watches gangly
adolescence give way to a driver's license, shaving cream,
and a deeper voice. (And the corresponding transitions in a
daughter's life).
I
have a few years--my oldest is just turning thirteen.
But what gets me thinking about it for my oldest son is the
look I see in the eyes of my friends' sixteen and seventeen
year old kids. They are looking over their father's
shoulder, into the world behind him, trying to find their
place, to see the path that will be their own.
Vision.
They're trying to see where their place is, just like
my son will in just a couple of years. However, vision
is not just the challenge of a young person-- it is often
the challenge that you and I face at certain junctures in
our lives, too. The difference is only that it is not
the first time for us--as it is for our kids.
So
for all the dads and moms and business leaders out there
struggling with the challenge of vision, let me give you the
"grid" that I use, one that I suspect will help my
sons, one I know has helped my clients, to scale
the summit of life. Take
care of the vision
1. See it first (intention). "Hope is the fuel. Hope
is a waking dream." (Aristotle) You must give
yourself to the process of seeing. It takes
time, courage...room in your life. My sons and I dream a
lot--of places, people, battles, and frontiers. We read
books together, and we tell stories of the lives others have
lived--so that we can find our own together, and also help each
other find the life that belongs only to ourselves.
2. Don't look too far ahead for too long
(discipline & action). Winston
Churchill said, "It is a mistake to try to look to
far ahead. The chain of destiny can only be
grasped one link at at time." Keep the
next step right before you. I live in Colorado at about 7800
feet above sea level. When our "flatlander"
friends come to visit, sometimes they can suffer from
altitude sickness--headache, sleeplessness, and nausea...the
same symptoms of those who cannot see the one thing they
need to do today to start living the vision.
3. Remember that the stakes are high (commitment). I recall
the old Japanese proverb: "Vision without action is
a daydream. Action without vision is a
nightmare." The vision will exact a price--you must
be willing to pay it. Don't do it for the money, but
don't be afraid to build reward into the vision. Instead,
let your motivation be about leaving a legacy for others,
rather than living a consumptive life. One man said, "You
can only live once, but if your live right, once is
enough."
4. Let curiosity, wonder, and mystery fuel the vision
(focus & willingness). Socrates said, "Wisdom begins in
wonder." If your vision isn't bigger than
you--full of mystery and wonder--then it is not worthy of
you. In the end you will be grasping wind. But let
wonder and mystery pull you forward, and you will be caught
up in a current stronger than you can imagine.
5. Realize that the vision you see is the real you (change/growth).
I like what H.M. Tomlinson said, "We see things
not as they are, but as we are." And John
Lubbock, "What we see depends mainly on what we look
for." In the end, your vision will be an
externalized reality of something wondrously true in the
deepest part of who you are. You are the artist
painting your vision into life, as Albert Einstein said: "I
am enough of an artist to draw freely upon my
imagination. Imagination is more important than
knowledge. Imagination encircles the world." The
process I share with my sons, friends, and courageous
clients who are ready to step out to realize the vision:
 Give
yourself permission to envision new things for your life and
your work. You might find that you are just returning to
process that you see at work in the youthful eyes of your
son, or daughter, or neighbor, or friend. See again
where your place is!
--Marc
Fey
If I can help you in any
way in the development of your vision, email me or call any
time! marc@LifeAscentCoaching.com
or 719-330-3123.
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