VISION

I would like to address today the subject of Vision.

What is Vision?  Where does it come from?  Does everyone have it?  How do we assist others to gain a portion of our Vision?

Let me share with you a definition of Vision I really like:

Vision is an act of faith that a difficult worthwhile objective can be achieved.

Concrete Aspiration

When I think of people with great vision some names immediately come to mind:

Martin Luther King Jr., Winston Churchill, John F. Kennedy, Christopher Columbus, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln

Mothers

I would like to share with you a short story about a mother with vision that typifies those great women around the world who, from the center of their hearts and without need for praise or glory, have reared children with vision. Then those countless children whose lives have been empowered with vision now bless the lives of all of us.

“My mother made me take piano lessons, and because I am her oldest and she had not yet been worn down by the task of prodding five children to practice every day, she kept me practicing despite my whining. The fact that I eventually studied piano for 15 years is largely a tribute to her resilience. I wish I had a dollar for every time she said I would thank her one-day for all of the musical torture.

As always, she was right. I have thanked her, again and again, for that introduction to the keyboard, because somewhere between those first bars of “Here we go, up a row, to a birthday party” and “Rhapsody in Blue,” I fell in love with music, especially classical music, which in its more magnificent passages made my heart feel like it was going to leap out of my chest—in other words, it made my young spirit soar.

Here again, my mother deserves all the credit. I couldn’t have been more than 10 or 11 when she gave me a stack of classical albums, introducing me to some of the great composers whose works were characterized by dramatic musical passages and what I call the Big Finish.

I would lie in front of the stereo for hours, listening to the third movement of Rachmaninoff’s second piano concerto or his “Prelude in C-sharp Minor,” all the while imagining myself at a shiny black concert grand in Carnegie Hall. I pictured my debut there, standing ovation and all. I imagined that I would be humble but brilliant—brilliant enough to move an entire audience, including my mother, to tears. Somewhere in all of my daydreaming, I caught a vision of how it would feel to play so beautifully that others’ hearts would soar.

At that point, she no longer had to encourage me to practice. Once I had a vision of the possibilities, the motivation to master the piano came from inside. Am I saying that practicing suddenly was enjoyable? Absolutely not! It was often sheer drudgery. But I found a technique that helped me endure those tedious hours of practice, day in and day out. When I set out to tackle a new piece, I would master and memorize the Big Finish first, all the while visualizing myself in a concert where the audience jumped to its feet at the last chord. Imagining how grand the Big Finish would be kept me going through months of rehearsal on technical passages that didn’t provide nearly the same sense of drama but that had to be mastered nonetheless.

In short, my progress on the piano and my motivation to practice increased dramatically when I caught a vision of my potential.”

Do you have a vision?  Have you caught the vision of what “your” business can be?  Or, are you/we still in the early phases of developing our vision?  Are we still trying to figure out our own potential so that our own motivation to do the business increases dramatically? Has the vision taken over so that someone does not have to motivate us to do the business? Rather, our own vision of what we can contribute, become, earn, leave as a legacy, enjoy the lifestyle, donate our time and talents or a plethora of reasons “why” we do this business take over?  In this period of world trauma, I believe that millions–if not billions, have taken a small break from life and taken an introspective look themselves. Similarly I desire for each of us to take an introspective look at why we chose to become involved with Xango.  It is the “Why” that is the cinder which, at times just smolders, but when the proper wind enters it can create a forest fire.  Just like this little girl, the basics and the day-to-day necessities to learn or practice do not go away.  However, the vision and Big Finish or “Why” is the cinder that keeps aglow diminishing the pain, frustration, agony and disappointments that are sure to come. This is not a get rich quick scheme. This is not a sit back and think about it business.  Just like this little girl, we have to spend hours, days, weeks and even years practicing difficult passages in order to enjoy the fruits at our own “BIG FINISH.”

Vision is an act of faith that a difficult worthwhile objective can be achieved.

My vision is that we as Xango Distributors can ENVISION and embark on these key points or objectives below.

Objectives:

1.         Each person will catch a vision of their own potential and the possibilities this business can empower them with.

2.         Each person will understand the correct system or process of building the business.

3.         Each person will accept total responsibility for ownership of his or her own business. (If it is meant to be, it is up to me!)

4.         Bring out the very best in every individual.

So, let’s go back to the concept of Vision.  What is your vision?  I want you to think deeply about this and write down your vision. What is your view of the Xango Opportunity?  Why did you join Xango?  What is your vision with this opportunity?  What do you want to do with it?

A vision begins with a Leader.  Each of you is a leader.  Your vision becomes the heart and soul of what you do. It is the cinder in a dwindling fire that when a little air gets to it, it ignites and can cause a forest fire.  Let me give you an example:

John F. Kennedy:  “We will put a man on the moon”

Now this was vision.  It was a vision that made people stretch; stretch their minds, stretch their belief, stretch their imagination and stretch their work ethic.  However, it gave them focus and they became very task oriented.  Everything that helped achieve the goal was explored and anything that deviated from the goal was quickly moved to the side.  They had no time nor interest in wasting their valuable time with unnecessary things that did not help them achieve their goal/vision—quickly.  I suppose if one of the team members brought up something silly or non-essential to the desired goal of the team then quickly the team members would discern the information to be distracting, unproductive and a bit of discipline from within would follow.  It probably only happened once, if ever, then no one wanted to look foolish or viewed as un-focused. They wanted to be a contributor to the team and overall success of the project.

Your vision must be very clear. Your vision must make people stretch.  Your vision must be something your team can feel, sense and desire to participate in. A vision translated by credible leadership is concrete aspiration. Concrete means real, visional, something that, when you hear it, you can almost taste.

“A leader whose goals are constantly shifting is no leader at all.  A stated vision stabilizes and concentrates the vision of the leader into something that is clear and concise, and that represents a continuing vision of what the team hopes to achieve together.  A good vision is an act of faith that a difficult, worthwhile goal can be achieved.

If a goal is clear enough and engages people’s hearts as well as their minds, the goal itself assumes much of the burden of leadership.  It’s so good it lives on its own. It becomes corrective against distraction, confusion and decay.

If, on the other hand, we are not able to catch a vision of what we will do with this opportunity, or have a clear image of who we are and what we are becoming, how can we be willing to do what it takes. How do we endure?  This business, like classical music, is full of difficult passages that are conquered as much through endurance and determination as through any particular skill. Vision is determined by faith and as Solomon said in the Bible, “Where there is no Vision, the people perish.” (Prov: 29:18)

And finally a major component of vision is PASSION.  Without passion the vision becomes simply words.  The Oxford Dictionary defines passion as “great enthusiasm for something.” The world is full of boring visions.  Companies and leaders understand they are to have vision; after all they have been handed down a tick list stating they need a mission statement or vision statement so, rather perfunctorily, they have completed the tick list but…, they are lacking this key ingredient of passion.

A dull vision lacks originality, personality and sizzle. A good vision goes beyond a quota or a sales number.  It goes beyond some fad phrase from the latest management guru book like worm-free or world-class or number-one or the biggest and the best.

People want to be turned on by their work.  A good vision gives us something to respond to. Something to buy into and claim ownership over.  When a goal or vision is really good, it doesn’t just belong to you. A transformation occurs, and you belong to it. You become part of it and then mother does not have to force you to practice the piano. You practice the piano because you caught the vision. It makes you proud and humble, both at the same time.

In summary I wish for each of us to review in our hearts and souls our personal WHY.  What was the reason we wanted to get involved with Xango.  What vision did we have and is that cinder still aglow?   How do we turn that cinder into a forest fire of activity and passion?

For each of us it is a personal thing.  I cannot do it for you. I wish I could. However, that is impossible and it would make this business to easy, wouldn’t it?

Indeed, this business is a test. It is a test of many things—of our convictions and priorities, our beliefs, our patience and our resilience, and in the end, our ultimate desires. Yet there are times when the vision and hope of a Big Finish are dimmed by immediate demands, days when one might wish for a different vision that is a little more manageable.

Perhaps you have heard of the young bride who said, “When I get married, it will be the end of all my troubles.” Her wise mother replied, “Yes, my dear, but which end?” Our work really begins when a new partner signs up, not before. It does not end and we sit back and say, “OK my new partner, got out and make me rich!”

Again, I promise to teach correct activities that will prove to be correct activities.  How fast, how often, how diligent and how aggressively you execute these activities only you will and can be the judge of that.  Largely, when you are frustrated on how big or how much your organizational growth is will be determined by first you’re own and then the efforts of those in your group carrying out these activities.  PURE AND SIMPLE. Not thinking about them but actually DOING them day in and day out just like the girl on the piano.  She could not learn those difficult passages by dreaming about the BIG FINISH or dreaming about being in concert with thousands of people admiring her polished abilities.  NO, she had to get in the trenches and practice, practice and then practice again those pieces.  Her passion and vision is what kept the cinder aglow.

Now, let us each and every one of us, do that introspective search and clearly define what our vision is.  What is the glowing cinder inside of us?  First, before we do anything else, before we learn of any activities or hear from another person we must clearly define our vision.  A vision not written is only a wish!  Glade Poulsen