As you know, Mondays are my busiest day. Somehow this video found it’s way to my inbox. I like it. I’ll weave my thoughts and visions in after the gym.
9pm update:
My vision for my life: I want the freedom to spend my life with my family, doing whatever we want to do; while still earning enough passive income from my businesses to cover my living expenses. Some people may call me “lazy” because I don’t want to “work.” Anyone who has spent the afternoon at my house knows I work harder and longer than the average employee who punches a timeclock.
Defining your vision is the first step. Peter Senge calls this creative tension, or “the gap between vision and current reality” Basically, it is the difference between where you are now and where you want to be. Some people get discouraged when they become aware of a wide gap. Effective people draw strength from it.
It’s like a rubber band. The wider the gap between vision and reality, the tighter the rubber band is stretched. There are only two ways to relieve that tension: “Pull reality toward the vision, or pull the vision toward reality.” You can use that tension to hurl yourself toward your goals, or you can allow it snap back and pommel you deeper into dispair. The first step toward cultivating a personal vision is to realistically acknowlege the gap between your vision and your reality and embrace that explosive force for good.
When deciding what is vision and what is reality, consider your circle of influence. As defined by Steven Covey in what I consider to be one of the most life-altering books I have ever read: one of the key attributes of an effective person is the ability to distinguish between those things that lie within his power to change, and those things that do not. Think of your world composed of two circles, one inside the other:
Inside the small circle (your circle of influence) is all the things you have the power to change: your diet, your daily habits, your job, your behavior. Inside the larger circle (your circle of concern) are all the things you care about, but you don’t have the power to change: the tax rate, the weather, your husband/kid/neighbor/boss’s behavior, the starving children in Africa.
Ineffective people spend a lot of time ruminating about their Circle of Concern. Proactive people focus their efforts in the Circle of Influence, working on things that they can do something about.
Over time, the more you focus on your Circle of Influence, the larger it grows, the more personal power you have. Soon, you discover that you are able to affect people and events that used to lie beyond your control. It is by this means that a leader shares his vision with other people.
Back to my vision. Am I selfish that I want to create businesses to create passive income so I don’t have to “work”? Well, when I don’t have to spend my weekends in the club, I will have A LOT more to work with non-profit groups like Starlight Ministries to produce Exotic Dancer MBA Seminars in cities across the country. I will have a lot more time to work with animal shelters and fostering.
Most importantly to me, I will have a lot more time to teach other people how to acheive their vision. My circle of influence right now is comprised mostly of strippers with lots of cash, no idea what to do with it, and no idea who’s advice to trust. My circle of concern is anyone who wants to find a path to financial freedom so they too can someday use their time to give back. I have “creative tension.” too. There is a gap between my vision and my reality. My passive income pays for my convertible and my utilities right now. That gap is narrowing though, two years ago I didn’t even know what passive income was!