Vision

“Dream lofty dreams. And as you dream, so shall you become. Your vision is a promise of what you shall one day be. Your ideal is the prophecy of what you shall at last unveil.”  ~ James Allen

Without vision, life can become listless and foggy. Lacking direction. Lacking drive. Lacking inspiration. Lacking luster. It is hard to be motivated when you can’t see where you are going. When you don’t have an end game and don’t know what you’re working towards… It can make every day tasks seem daunting, and pointless. You need a reason to trudge on. Something to aspire to. An ultimate goal. A dream that sets you on fire for life. A vision that ignites your purpose and meaning and drive…That feeds your soul, your creativity, your passion… A vision that makes you come alive. 

Dream like your future depends on it, because it does. What are you here for? What makes you feel alive? What are your interests? If money was no factor, what would you do? Where would you be? Start there. Build your vision around that. Visualize yourself where you want to be, doing what you want to do. Just imagine it. “Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life’s coming attractions.” ~Albert Einstein. The images you hold in your mind will manifest in your life. Use your imagination as a tool to create the life that you want to lead, the person that you would like to be, the experiences that you would like to have. You don’t have to have all of the answers right away. You can start small. “A mighty flame follows a tiny spark” ~Dante Alighieri. Visualization is a powerful practice. Envision what you want for your life. Seek clarity. Declare it. And write it down. 

“Write the vision, and make it plain…for the vision is yet for an appointed time. But at the end it will speak. It will not lie…wait for it. Because it will surely come.” ~Habakkuk 2:3

Vision is like the seed. The beginning of creation. The start of everything. Putting it in writing is like planting it in soil, constructing an environment for which it can take hold, take shape, and come to fruition. The more you write, the clearer your vision will become. But it will not come to fruition without work. You need to water it. To care for it. To accommodate its needs as it grows. You will need to ensure a nurturing environment in which it can take root. You will need to be vigilant in removing weeds and competing distractions. You will need to continuously and consistently create the conditions, and provide the resources conducive to its growth. It will take effort. It will take time. But if you are diligent in these measures, that seed will bear fruit. And that fruit will bear seeds. And your dreams can be multiplied, and endless, and live long after you.  

“First, decide exactly what it is you want in life. Second, determine the price you are going to have to pay to get the things you want. And third, and this is the most important, resolve to pay that price.” ~H.L. Hunt. Work. You put in work. And as you work, keep that vision on the forefront of your mind. It is your reason. It is your aim. It is your guide. It is your why. 

My vision for myself was to be a nurse and do overseas philanthropy. I wanted that beautiful life so bad I would cry at night. I was a single mom,  living in poverty, working odd jobs, going to school, and fighting every single day all day. Poverty is hard. Any minor setback becomes an absolute cascading catastrophe. It is very easy to lose sight of hope and crumble under hardships. My vision was a driving force that uplifted us out of those oppressive conditions. My heart beat for it. I was able to do the hard work and overcome all of the trials because I knew we would live the life I envisioned. It was destined. 

You are right where you need to be, right now, no matter your current situation, to determine where you’d like to go, to make the sacrifices you need to make, to secure the resources that you will need, in order to live how you’d like to live. Do what needs to be done to get where you want to go. Your vision is your mission. Make all of your means meet the end you imagine. Set yourself up for success. Set yourself up for the future. And enjoy the journey along the way. There’s no real destination even when you reach it. The future is always unfolding just ahead. You are in the process of creation. Creating the ideal version of your life, but most importantly and assuredly becoming the best version of yourself… Living life the way it should be lived… In pursuit of worthwhile dreams.

“When you are inspired by some great purpose.. dormant forces, faculties, and talents become alive, And you discover yourself to be a greater person by far than you ever dreamed yourself to be.” ~ Pantanjali

When you spend time in visualization… Writing your dreams, and planting the seeds, and doing the work, committed to making your vision a reality… When you repeatedly imagine it in all of its glory… the details become more lucid and palpable. You become more and more aware of it’s possibility. More than a possibility, your vision becomes inevitable. Unstoppable. Impending. “The world makes way for the man who knows where he is going” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson. The dots begin to connect. All the seeds you planted along the way bloom. All the seemingly random scattered puzzle pieces of your life begin to connect in ways you couldn’t fathom before, in perfect alignment and perfect harmony. The big picture is revealed. And you find yourself where you imagined you would be. Living the life you envisioned…Dreaming up new dreams… And inspiring others to do the same.

Author: Brandy Metz, MSN, APRN, AGNP-C