“To live is to choose. But to choose well, you must know who you are and what you stand for, where you want to go and why you want to get there.” - Kofi Annan
I love this quote because it’s so very true. Without knowing who you are, what you stand for, where you want to go and why you want to get there, choosing well becomes impossible.
We make dozens and dozens of choices every day, from the small inconsequential choices we make without much thought to the bigger life and business choices that are an integral part of life.
While you certainly don’t need to have a clear vision of your life or your business to decide what you’re going to wear today or whether you’re going to have coffee or tea with your next meal, if you’ve got a dream for your life and business and hope to achieve it, you need to have not just a dream but a vision.
While the terms dream and vision are very similar there’s an important distinction between the two. Typically a dream is a vague idea or concept. You might dream of running a wildly successful six-figure business. But what does that actually look like? A dream lacks clarity, and clarity is where the power lies.
Let me demonstrate with a fun example. You’ve just sat down in a restaurant. The server comes over to ask what you’d like and you reply, “Hmmm….I think I’ll have the beef.” While you’re waiting for your food to arrive you may begin to envision a juicy, tender filet mignon cooked to perfection, but because you lacked that clarity of vision when placing your order, you’re may be dismayed when your food arrives to discover that what you have before you, is instead, a dry, over-cooked burger.
Therein lies the difference between a vague dream and a clear vision. Without a clear vision of what you want and where you’re going, it’s mighty hard to get there. While it isn’t necessary to be able to identify every step between where you are and where you want to be, you do need a clear vision of what your end result will be. A clear vision then becomes the filter through which you can make more effective choices. With a clear vision you’re able to choose well by asking yourself, “Will this move me closer to my vision?”
Posted on Oct 19th 06 by Lisa Wilder.
Lisa is passionate about helping others to create lives and businesses they're passionate about and which bring them joy. Through her small business coaching and consulting she helps service professionals boldly step out of their comfort zone into The Wilder Zone to build successful businesses doing what they love. http://www.thewilderzone.com http://www.thewilderzone.com
Other posts on Coachamatic by Lisa Wilder.
0 Responses to “How To: Make Effective Choices”