How far can you see?

Can you imagine a better world? A vision is not a sales target or set of positive statistics, it’s a long-term, big-picture imagining of the future. There’s no harm in thinking big. The giant tech companies set themselves goals they admit are beyond their own capabilities to push themselves and their innovators as far as they can. How big can you dream?

• Do you have a vision for your business? Can you picture what success will look like?

A vision is important. We like to focus on the here and now, we like quick wins because the achievement is tangible and we like collecting small victories because of the morale boost. But what’s it all for though? Where is it going?

Without a vision to tie together all your efforts, any victory can seem rather empty. All the small victory morale boosts in the world won’t counteract the morale drain of feeling directionless. Get thinking – where would you like to be, what world would you like to see?

Deciding upon your own vision is also one of the key perks of starting your own business. In the corporate world, very few people get to decide on a vision and they tend to be sat very high up. At best you might control the destiny of the silo you’re responsible for. With your own company comes the freedom to think and dream for yourself.

• Can you back up your vision with the belief that you can turn it into a reality?

A key part of backing up your vision with belief is reminding yourself that you are making progress – reassuring yourself that your vision is not some pie-in-the-sky fantasy, but a reality that grows more possible all the time. Ask yourself each day what you are doing that day to realise your vision.

The answer might be a tenuous link. You might be earning money to pay your bills today so that you can address your vision directly tomorrow, or the day after that. Hopefully your answer is more direct, but even the ‘cop-out answer’ means you’ve taken time out of your day to link your activities with a bigger goal, keeps you on track and helps build belief.

• Are you determined to give your business idea your best shot? You may not realise the vision if you don’t.

Realising a vision is not something which happens easily or quickly. It requires determination to stay on track, not just when times get tough but in the good times too. It’s easy to envisage someone losing sight of their objectives whilst being overwhelmed with firefighting duties and emergencies. However, opportunities can lead you away as well.

An opportunity can seem great – and may well be so – but might be leading you away from the vision. It’s never easy to turn down work but it’s always important to consider if a project might compromise or hinder your long-term goals. Keep yourself the question from point two – what have you done today to realise your vision? Does this opportunity take you a step closer?

We all need Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Time-Bound objectives to keep us moving forward and ensure day-to-day success, but don’t neglect drawing up and filling in the overall picture of success. Think big, create a vision, believe you can do it and stick with it.