One of the best parts of creating a Vivid Vision is the chance it gives you to tear off the shackles of reality and logic and fantasize about your future. But often, successful entrepreneurs have a hard time tapping into their creative side. The pragmatic, logical thought patterns that made them successful don’t allow a lot of room for imagination.
So when I am coaching these ambitious leaders, I spend a lot of time getting them out of their shell and into a creative space. The goal of a Vivid Vision (formerly Painted Picture) is to imagine ‘where’ you will take your company, not ‘how’ you’ll get there. And to make this work, you need to dream big and worry about the ‘how’ later.
I encourage my clients to think about crazy stuff. If it’s too outlandish to bring up in a meeting, then it should most likely be considered for your Vivid Vision.
To tap into my creative side, I use a technique called ‘mind mapping.’ I write down whatever thoughts pop into my head. Each notion inspires another thought, sometimes connected, often completely random.
After a while, I am left with a sheet of paper covered in haphazard, seemingly unconnected notes. But when I dig a little deeper, patterns begin to emerge. They are ideas or directions I might not have been actively thinking of, but my creative subconscious certainly was.
I wasn’t always this right brained. When I was COO of 1-800-GOT-JUNK?, I excused myself from the process of creating Vivid Vision. Not because I was lazy, but because I knew I’d get in the way by constantly asking “how.” How were going to get mentioned on Oprah? How were our offices going to be studied by Harvard?
At the time, I thought they were legitimate questions. Why waste our time on these outlandish ideas if we had no plan on how to achieve them?
It was only later, after I saw the power of Vivid Visions in action that I understood why we didn’t need to ask “how”. The “how” just happens organically.
These lofty goals and ‘crazy’ visions weren’t necessarily supposed to be achieved. Rather, they were meant to act as carrots, leading us down a positive path. Sure, that path might not end with our logo on Oprah’s show, but the steps we take in even trying to get there undoubtedly lead us to a better place. That’s the magic of the Vivid Vision.
So get out of your own way and imagine a future without limits. Who knows, you just might get there.
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