Launching a Vision, Pt. 1- Vision Busters

When it comes to launching a vision, what exactly prevents a person from taking their next steps? Is it tangible, imagined, or some potentially lethal combination of Vision Busters?

Fear of failure, insecurity/self-doubt, or a general sense of being totally clueless about how to bring something to life outside of your own head can be paralyzing and can quench the fire to do something visionary. I know that in my own little head-space, there is always a dialogue between my Creative Confident Self and my Are-You-Nuts-This-Will-Never-Work Self. For the record, that second version of self pretty much sucks and is absolutely no fun to be around. I try to send her on extended vacations as often as possible just so I can have some peace. Thinking of sending her to space with that crazy guy that started Virgin.

OK, so how to combat these vision-busters and keep moving forward in faith that the thing God has placed in my heart is something worth exploring?

1. Talk about it. I have a handful of actual, live friends who like me enough to listen to my ideas and give me honest feedback. I treasure their opinions and experience, so when this thing started to take shape and excite me I wanted to share it with them. It's been good to hear varying perspectives as well as encouragement from different sources. Also, in the process of trying to articulate a vision, I find that I am able to help the thing take a more recognizable shape. It's cool.

2. Write it out. Thank God for blogging. Much like being able to share face-to-face with a few people, being able to share with an extended circle through the semi-anonymity of an online forum is really helpful. Writing has always been a vehicle for me to refine and express thoughts and emotions (hello, bad poetry!) and to just try and make sense of and process the world around me and within me. Taking the critiques, questions and challenges of people I've shared this particular vision with has been tremendously helpful in putting thoughts to paper.

3. Research. Making the time to do some research just makes sense. For me, it is the first measurable step forward. It says, Yeah, I am serious about this. It also helps bring a vision up to real-world, practical status as opposed to glossy, etheral mind-fluff. A little research helps to steer the vision and put it on a trajectory for actualization.

4. Keep Moving Forward. I cannot overstate the importance of this. There are days when I feel so beat down and useless that trying to imagine bringing a vision to life is about as likely as pulling a monkey out of my ass. On those days, I just try to roll with it. I know that "this too shall pass" and I will be back on track in short order. Resting is fine, but quitting is just not an option. If it means that I need to find a way to dig deeper, to find out what is making me block my progress, then I go back to step 1 and talk to those people I trust the most and know that they will inevitably shed some light on the problem. And when they do, I pick up where I left off and start moving forward again.

So there you have it. I look forward to sharing the journey with you all. :)

Launching a Vision, Pt. 1

New Year, New Me. First Day of the Rest of My Life. Resolutions, Goal-Setting, Mid-Life Crisis. Living My Legacy. OMG-what-the-hell-am-I-doing???

I don't want to sound like a braggard, but coming up with catchy (and let's be honest, cheesy) slogans and pithy phrases isn't an area where I find myself lacking. Neither is coming up with ideas. I have what seems like an endless supply of ideas of various sizes and values-- Big, Little, Clever, Ridiculous, Romantic, Fun, Spontaneous, Mischieveous, Improbable, Illogical, Mediocre and Marvelous. Just try getting through a staff meeting with me! I love brainstorming and I love being around creative people, people who push me to think in new ways and aren't all about squashing the light within. So what do you do when you have something start to bubble up inside you that is better than an idea, bigger than a dream, and bolder than anything you've ever claimed as your own? I'm talking about a bona-fide vision... a big, scary, ridiculous, romantic, improbable, marvelous and wonderful vision.

Catch this email that I shared with a colleague and trusted friend about a year ago. It's a snippet of the vision I've been harboring and timidly sharing with a few trusted friends over the past so many years:

... I always appreciate talking about things with you because it reminds me to think deeper and reach farther. It’s easy to forget that in the day-to-day.

I probably showed this to you once upon a time but THIS is what I really want to do: WE Teams. Women’s Empowerment (“WE”) Teams would partner women’s groups here in the U.S. with women in Kenya (and beyond) to create opportunities for education, economic stability, social justice and equality. WE Teams would be long-term global relationships that start with seed money for a variety of projects that would become self-sustaining. It’s something that has been a vision for years and years, before I ever became involved with Tumaini, and just never knew how/where/when.

Anyway, I know that it is the direction I want to go and what I want my life to be about. I don’t know how/where/when but I do know that God will open the right doors for me at the right time, and my job is to just keep moving forward and not lose the vision.

"My job is to just keep moving forward and not lose the vision." I feel like finally, FINALLY, I am finding myself in a place where I am ready to do more than just keep moving forward. I need to move forward with a purpose and a plan. It's time now to pack the parachute, strap in, and get on the plane. Vision Airlines is now boarding...