The Vision Compass

You’ll never know when things will suddenly go bad on you.  There you are, whistling through your priorities, when some disaster strikes without warning.  The new contract that everybody is looking forward to is suddenly cancelled, or a close friend dies, or a girlfriend breaks up with you, or your network gets crippled and you can’t email a demanding boss who only communicates through his Yahoo account. You know, those things that not only cause serious operational problems, but also a lot of emotional stress and tremendous mental distress. When you get sideswiped like this, it can be tough to get your groove back.

Some folks are more resilient than others. They bounce back right away, shrugging off a major disaster like it was just a minor annoyance.  They’re stoic.  Nothing seems to faze them at all. Some of these guys are just putting on a brave face, while others are genuinely fine.  They have accepted what has happened, including their own feelings (they are secure enough to admit that they are scared), and are starting to make plans to deal with the situation.

One thing that I have noticed about these survivor types is that they have something to look forward to, beyond the immediate disaster. They have a clear vision of certain conditions that they want to achieve in the future. Often, their mental picture of these conditions is so richly detailed that when they talk about it you’d think they’ve been to the future and seen it with their own eyes. And their zeal for that vision is so palpable, so passionate, that those who listen to them can’t help but be inspired.

The strength and clarity of these visions is one of the factors that allow them to walk through fire and move forward. Like a compass that constantly weeks North, visions orient and remind us about where we want to be, and guide us out of the disaster zone. 

So while you’re pushing ahead with your plans, every now and then remind yourself of your vision. Hold the picture in your mind, add more specifics to make it clearer. Just in case something jumps up and bites you somewhere, you’ll have something to help you through.