Vision: Setting your sights high!

What I will share with you in this article bears immense significance to a number of people. If this aspect is well utilized it culminates in a fruitful life. However, we see a majority of individuals who progress in their education and subsequently advance in their careers without a bigger picture in their mind as to what they want their lives to be. They get motivated by goals that weren't theirs to start with, but the sense of achievement and the consequent rewards eggs them on further on a path that is not what will make them truly happy in the end.

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We see this so often as many professionals aren't prepared for the changes that career advancement brings. They have to sacrifice a lot in terms of things that are equally important as their career, but as new professional demands arise one has to make compromises in other areas because he thinks that if he isn't going to progress professionally the world will brand him as a failure. So people in their constant desire to prove themselves in front of others trudge on a tiresome trail. They do this despite the fact that they are not being true to themselves, as it is not giving them lasting satisfaction.

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Even if they realize that the direction that they have taken for progress is actually not giving them satisfaction, they still have to keep continuing on the same path as they feel that they have come too far to back out. Fear of starting out afresh drives them nuts and they benignly keep going forward which takes them further away from what will actually make them happy. On top of that people have a fear of losing what they have built up after so much hard work.

So lets talk about what vision is?

Though, a lot has been mentioned on this topic in popular literature and addressed by various forums, but the fact remains that people need to become more attuned to this subject and imbibe it as one of the key features in their lives. Developing a vision means an individual's capacity to use insightful mental reflection or to create a road map for his future by using his imagination or by drawing from existing wisdom. It entails being able to create in one's mind an ideal picture of what life must be.

However, the fact remains that one must strongly decide as to what is this picture of his life in the future should be like. Otherwise it can just be a high flown fantasy which leaves a person all starry-eyed, giving him goose bumps from the ecstatic feelings created. This would be an Imagination which can't come true. On the flip-side people also make things so dry and limited that even if they are creating a picture of a better life it is not very different from their present circumstances. This results in no significant change.

Presently. my chief endeavor is to give you certain parameters which when used will help you to visualize an excellent life for yourself. It is not a follow it all success formula, though, if these aspects are inculcated, a beautiful and idyllic future can be generated. Furthermore, it will also help us chart out a proper plan of action to reach our desired destination. We will also be able to measure the progress in the achievement of goals along the way. On top of that these principles will further act as beacons so that we do not go off track from our chosen direction by the shifts of trends in society and the whims of others .

And anyone who has unshakable hopes and dreams can vouch for the fact how much noise, pressure and distractions that can be created by others in our surroundings. We do live in society to conform so that everyone can have a mutually benefit. We also know that we can't work at everything by ourselves. But still a line needs to be drawn which will neither hinder societal progress from our contribution to the systems present requirements, nor would our working for a better tomorrow be compromised by the duties we have towards others.

So here is a list of what all can we inculcate in building an idyllic life:

1). Balance:

People who do visualize the desired life that they want at times only focus on only one or two aspects.. However, life as we know it is comprised of more than one aspect. Therefore, concentrating on only a single direction will only result in a lopsided future. We need to fix our sights on building a life that is excelling in every area, such as professionally, interpersonal relationships, hobbies and leisure, contributions to mankind, etc. There seems to be a singular fascination with career and financial success or any other facet. Usually it is because when a person was growing up he had a void in that particular area, he then pursues that thing without focusing much on other parts of his life. He reasons that the rest will itself fall into place after he achieves his much prized goals. But as there was no charted course on which to steer in these areas, shipwrecks occur. In extreme cases we also find people to completely forgo one essential aspect of their lives. Thus, one must develop a balanced outlook for one's life which is centered on building a wholesome life.

2). Sense of Adventure:

Too many people spend all of their lives playing it safe. They always want the protection of familiarity, routine and of following the norm. This is why many potentially talented people live very rudimentary lives, unseen and unheard. They become one of the many nameless and faceless in a crowd that longs to be noticed. Recognition and novelty are important human needs, which I feel if not met can manifest themselves in wrong ways. I am of the opinion that reckless actions (e.g. rash driving, taking risk for getting that unique selfie) is a result of people seeking recognition as they are otherwise living a very mundane life. We know how these can lead to disaster.

However, if people follow a guided path of being venturesome in appropriate ways, they will find fulfillment. What I mean here is that even in an unexciting career with not many chances of growth an individual can find meaning. Firstly, they must see that opportunities exist for advancement. Once a firm belief is made that there is hope for change, then people's creativity goes to work. It's when we start viewing our jobs as an adventure rather than boring our professional life starts to transform. A number of positive changes in working methods and innovation in working technology have been brought by people who wanted to bring about transformation. They were tired of doing things in the same old fashion which lacked efficiency or failed to stimulate an interest in the work at hand.

Though, we see that many organizations have a very templated way of operations, which do not offer any flexibility in working style. It can be very frustrating for those who find a better way of doing the same thing, yet policy requires them to work according to the stipulated conventions. As we all see so plainly that innovation is in. Not just in the products or services that are being offered to the market but also in the process of producing them as well as delivering them to the customer. So what should innovative people do who want take their creativity to another level?

I firmly believe that innovative people should start working for themselves. This is the age of start ups and creative people should ride this surge. But we have so grown used to the security of a regular income from a job that it scares us to lose this. I have heard this from many people to whom I give the suggestion of going solo. And I do agree that it is a big risk to do your own thing. Their are so many intricacies involved. But I also forsee that if you plan it right and all goes well then it would be the best decision that you took in life. If one plans things right, if all contingencies are worked upon, and if you cater to the need of the market with a genuine product/service, you have a high degree of succeeding. I feel one should take calculated risks for growth or risk becoming redundant oneself.

3). Contribution:

When inculcating a vision for one's life, one must plan on contributing in building up society. This is so because we cannot remain isolated from the plight of others who are less fortunate than us. We need to throw in our efforts towards a better society. Believe me our endeavors in improving the lives of others around us will go a long way.

But I would like to add that as much as possible we must have a well chalked out plan. This will assist you in taking proper action in terms of how you want to help others; how much time and resources can you allocate to this cause; and most importantly, if you are regularly contributing towards a particular cause, what tangible changes are you seeing in the lives of those you are assisting?

If we do not do this work in an accountable manner, chances are that we will not be contributing anything significant or long-lasting. We would only be giving ourselves a mental high-five for doing something good. But the truth would be far from our beliefs.

4). fearlessness: The most obvious fear that people can encounter while penning down one's ideal life is a fear of failure. Fear of failure comes from a need for people to feel wanted and being approved of by others. People feel that failure entails a loss of value. However, history tells us that is not at all true. People who have achieved success in life had once faced setbacks and debacles. They had either pursued a goal which was ambitious beyond their current capabilities or they set about on a path that had never been trod upon before. The going had been tough at times and they faced many setbacks, but in the end there was victory and that changed their life forever.

Therefore, we must put aside our fears and believe in our potential to do significant things in life. No matter where you are in life at present, no matter how many distresses you have faced, but believe in yourself, plan for tomorrow, drive out the fears. It's time that the world got to see the wonderful person called "YOU."

5). Being Proactive:

"Happen to life rather than let life happen to you." A person who wants to pursue excellence and success cannot be passive about life. He must exert guided action into every effort. That's how obstacles that come in the way will get tackled and one can move forward towards one's idyllic future. A person must stir himself to action, be focused and always work at problems with a strong belief that a solution will be found and ultimate success awaits him on the finish line.

6). Benefiting from Pessimists:

Naysayers have a way of demoralizing those who want to think beyond the horizon and achieve the impossible. They will keep harping about all the difficulties that can be incurred; that nothing can be done about the situation that one wants to bring about a change in; that you don't have what it takes to achieve your goals and so many things. My strategy is to build up contingency plans of what naysayers say. What I mean by that is people who have a pessimistic attitude actually see the pitfalls of a plan, which may or may not occur. We can use this to our advantage by being prepared for any such eventualities and keep forging ahead.

Life is a wonderful journey which can become even more splendid if we decide to be all that we can become. By drawing from our innate potential and giving it shape with a framework created with deliberation not only can we experience life anew but in the bargain we can make this world a better place.

Clicked in Triund.