Do you have a living vision for your business? No? Yes? Maybe? — Dale Darley
Before I left for Spain a few years ago, I had a vision. It wasn’t anything to do with my business. It was a book, a novel no less that was going to be turned into a film and the rest as they say would be history.
As I drove from Wales to my mums in Spain, I played fantasy revenge novel plot lining while thinking about the less than nice husband I’d left. This was to be my novel. As there was no radio and two bored doggies in the back of the motorhome, I was left with nothing but my vivid imagination. And it was fun.
I’d packed what I could, but there wasn’t much room for my things. One thing I kept was my vision board. If nothing else I wanted to be reminded of my yearning to write novels, funny ones with an underlying message. I still do have this vision.
The trouble is, as yet I haven’t taken much action. I have written a first draft of the above story through the eyes of a puppy that I rescued once I got here. It was incredibly cathartic, but that was all. It may resurface, who knows?
The reason that creating a vision was at the front of my mind was that last week I repurposed a planner. I’d designed it for a course and a personal branding book that I haven’t touched since leaving the shores of the UK. I was clearly a very different person as the planner is no longer recognisable.
Repurposing it was, however, a great opportunity to think about how I now like to plan. Asking what works for me and inviting a living vision into my life.
I realised that having a vision which I regularly review is important to me and I wanted this vision to live in me. I wanted a living vision. Having a vision statement feels felt stagnant and inflexible now.
Using my planner in this way and testing it so that I would actually get things done has meant that my vision has come alive. It flows and it feels like it is living.
Visions work when they are living
How does a living vision work?
At the start of every month, you take the time to write about your perfect day. I like the perfect day exercise as it allows me to play with my imagination. You may choose to write it in another way and it is important that it works for you.
I sit for a while and tap into my writing muse and allow him or her to share their thoughts around what perhaps a perfect day might look like. Then I start to write without censure.
What I wonder would be in your perfect day?
Would you be headbanging to Nirvana while swigging a cheeky vino, a designer beer or perhaps a real ale at the end of your Thursday? Because of course, you’d only work three days a week.
Maybe you are spending a few hours walking around your estate with your dogs and partner as you plan your next product launch. Perhaps you are discussing some other investment or early retirement and driving around Europe?
Is there a beach, a mountain, a city or maybe all three in your vision?
What about how you work and your business?
You could have only the right kind of clients who always pay on time, who love working with you. and telling all their influential friends that you are awesome.
There could be reinvention, diversification and innovation. All you have to do is let your imagination free.
I get that there could be flights of fantasy. Like the novel, I haven’t written, but the truth is just by focusing on it has meant that I am starting it on January 1st 2021.
What I found with my living vision was that with each iteration it felt more real. And I found myself being able to be realistic with priorities, timeframes and what I could and wanted to achieve.
Living visions require us to use our imagination, but also to consider how this makes us feel and what has to happen to inspire action. I have found myself far more productive and I can see products, courses and books coming alive far more than at the beginning of the year.
Stuff is getting done.
You may have a book that you want to write and it could feel like it is a long way away. You may consider that you don’t have the resources or the time. You may even be unclear what the book is really about.
A living vision will help you to envision this book, which will get you questioning if it aligns with your brand and business. The more you play and ponder the closer you will get.
A perfect day could be that you find a way to write your bookwhile you build your brand. That might mean creating an outline and blogging your book. In your envisioning you see yourself getting fabulous feedback which allows you to refine your outline and as your ideal customer gets a feel for you, more work comes in. The perfect day is your eureka day and you have the right idea and content.
A perfect day might be further away and it’s the day a publisher says yes and later you are a bestseller.
I started a project in 2020 around the chakras. I now have a program called The Journey Of The Heart, 7 chakra journaling books (one down 6 to go) and 7 courses to go with the books (still in development).
All of these were on my living vision board that I create from my perfect day exercise.
My invitation is…
My invitation to you is to allow your imagination to feed your monthly, weekly and daily planning. Write often about your perfect day and allow yourself to dream. As you create more of a living vision the more you will live your vision.
Remember to take action appropriate action, consider your priorities and if your priorities change then one would hope that’s a move in the right direction.
If you find yourself procrastinating it may well be that this vision and subsequent action plan are not aligned.
The living vision is working for me and I hope that it does for you. I wonder what I’ll think in a years time when I look back on my first perfect day exercise.
When you have stuff on your mind please book in for a Power Hour session and let’s see if we can get you closer to what you want.
Originally published at https://daledarley.com on November 21, 2020.
