A vision serves as your aspirational roadmap for the future. Often times we get caught up in the grind of work, and monotonous details of our daily schedule. We wonder, “what am I really doing, and why am I doing it?”. Developing a clear vision can keep us grounded and on track to reach the goals we aspire to achieve.
As a competitive swimmer, we would regularly practice the art of “visualization”. Visualization is the closest thing to magic that we posses to turn average action into unbelievable feats of human performance and achievement. ‘Feeling’ the atmosphere of the venue, ‘seeing’ your competitors, and ‘smelling’ the chlorine allows your mind to construct your optimal performance.
Similarly, this concept applies to all our personal and professional endeavors. In our most recent leadership development Friday, we heard from David Hall, president of Shore Mortgage. His workshop on developing a clear vision resonated with me. He vindicated, “If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough”.
SEE ALSO: Self-Branding: The Art of Introspection
We broke off into teams and in a speed 
ideation session, brainstormed the key elements of developing a strong vision. The most common denominator was passion. We discussed that following something you believe in and are passionate about is the most significant success factor in developing a winning vision. We can only captivate our audiences and inspire ourselves by staying true to our passion.
What is your BHAG?
A Big Hair Audacious Goal, while similar to a vision statement, allows you to think unrestricted about the long-term potential of your endeavors. Defining a BHAG can stimulate growth because you are able to extend beyond the basic survival mentality to a much larger purpose.
Drawing abstractly from the confines of society can foster even greater success because we are not limited by short-term pressures and realities.
“You can’t depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus.” – Mark Twain
Clear your mind, and let your imagination run wild. Thinking creatively about the passions, resources and opportunities available to you will yield the most innovative and sincere visions. So I challenge you to do a little self-introspection and create the ultimate vision and BHAG’s for yourself or your organization, and share them below!