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...