Do you have a vision for yourself and for your business? Most people do not.

What is a vision? By nature, a vision is unreal, not necessarily logical, and certainly not commonly regarded as available today. In other words, with your vision, you’re carving out a new reality, much like an inventor or pioneer. It’s actually a fun process once you learn to ignore the nay-sayers and devote your energies to creating what you have in mind.

You can accelerate your vision discovery with a few “simple” questions:

1. What is something that you deeply want to do for or give to others that seems out of your present reach?
 

If you’re even thinking in terms of vision, you’re probably a forward thinker and a person who desires to provide service to others. Given this, why not go for broke? If you had the strength, the power, the delivery technology, and the language, what is the ultimate thing that you would want for others to have in life?
 

Think big. Be unreasonable. Be willing to be scoffed at. Rather than think through every linear step that it will take to reach your goal, simply identify the end. The vision must be bright enough to light your success path to it. With a bright enough vision, the needed solutions will also appear and ignoring the small minds around you will be easy.

2. Who wants what I’m thinking of? A vision that is only yours becomes a monument to your ego. After getting in touch with what you most want for others, it’s time to go find those “others” and discuss your idea with them. Listen to what they want and ask for help with how to apply the idea to what they want today, not what they should want or need. Most of us won’t buy something just because it will help us or because we need it; we must also want it (or the consequence of not getting it must appear so great) so that we just must buy it. You don’t want to have to sell your vision. You want ready buyers. Don’t get caught up in having to have your vision be a particular way. The whole idea behind a vision is to serve, not prove.

3. Let your “customers” coach you in customizing your vision.

Whether it’s the board members of your local non-profit, the employees in your company, or a few of your key customers, it’s much easier to include others in your vision from the very start. Ask them to become your partners as you develop your vision from an idea to a measurable improvement in the quality of life.

By developing your vision and applying it, you will create a new and stronger community of colleagues, customers, friends, and partners. And some of your associates won’t keep up. I suggest that you keep serving the ones who are ready and love the ones who aren’t. Don’t try to serve the ones who aren’t ready.