8 minute read

Goal setting gets you going a VISION keeps you going.

• Goals vs. Vision

• What fulfillment looks like

• How to rewire your brain

Most people would agree that man needs goals.

I believe man needs a vision.

A goal is finite, a measurable objective with a beginning, middle and end.

A vision is infinite, it is the highest form of who you could become.

A goal tells you what to do.

A vision says why you must do it.

A goal is achieved.

A vision is pursued.

You can fail at goals.

You can only quit on a vision.

A goal might be to create greater income.

But, only a vision will create lasting impact.

To create a Vision begin with goals.

Before you run you must learn to walk.

And a goal is the first step.

A goal is the beginning of vision.

A goal is short term, typically 90 days or less.

And good goals follow a formula.

The acronym SMART — Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Realistic and Time bound is a great process for setting and attaining goals.

A vision is long term and made up of many complimenting goals.

I believe the sweet spot for a working vision is two years.

It’s just far enough away that your imagination can get creative and it’s still close enough that you have to get to work on it now.

A mentor has reminded me many times…

From my experience 10 years is a little too far out for most people even 5 years is a stretch.

By nature humans are lazy and look for efficiency, if there is no impending pressure procrastination tends to kick in and the 10 year vision becomes a pattern of “tomorrow I’ll start”.

But two years is just right, it’s only 24 months but so much can happen in that period.

When designing your vision it should include four domains.

• Faith

• Fitness

• Family

• Finances

You don’t have to use that exact framework but as far as I can tell everything you’d hope to accomplish in life falls in one of those four areas.

Spirit, body, emotion and mind.

To be an example in faith means you have a belief based mindset that God has a plan for you, you lead from a place of inner integrity and peace. A faithful man is grounded in his masculine core because he knows God is on his side. This man is unwavering in times of stress.

To be an example in fitness means you have the physical discipline that embodies strength and endurance. You are strong and capable to protect and preside and are able and willing to suffer, struggle and stand in the gap.

To be an example in family means you are respected, admired and followed because you live a life of followable excellence. Whether you have a wife and kids yet doesn’t matter, this is leadership, do those closest to you trust your character.

To be an example in your finances means you are a good steward with your talents and treasures and you realize poverty is a prison and money is a tool to create freedom. You are a generous giver, responsible and positively impact the world with your income and investments.

This is masculine fulfillment and the way of the High Value Man.

These four parts make up your vision.

The Science of Vivid Vision Casting

When writing your vision it’s important to include plenty of detail.

You need to experience that what you want in the present moment and feel what you will feel before you have it.

There is much that can be said on the topic of prayer, manifesting and vision casting — all sound and true, but I like to take the scientific approach.

There is a part of your brain called the Reticular Activating System (RAS) that filters all of the data from your five senses.

Sight, Sound, Taste, Smell and Touch.

Without the RAS we would be overwhelmed with input and the vast amount of sense would overload our capacity to function as conscious adults.

We see this with those who suffer with cognitive deviations like autism or some forms of mental disorders where they experience extreme discomfort with lights, sounds or experience.

The RAS filters out what is important and focuses on what is important.

Interestingly, we can program our RAS to focus on and find that which we define as important.

Think of the last car you bought.

Before you bought the car you probably never saw that car on the road.

Even before you bought the car, when you were dreaming about it you probably saw it on the road more.

When you bought the car it was everywhere.

So, with vision creation, define in detail that what you want so you can leverage the science of how your brain works to discover the path to achieving.

You’ll never find what you don’t look for.

I like to use the What, How, Why and Who of descriptive writing.

What do you want?

• Rich meaty details matter here. If you want a nice house, where is it, what street, what direction does your office face, tile or wood floors? Details matter. be detailed. What’s the temperature as you walk outside to see the sunrise? What is in your hand, coffee, tea or a cold glass of water with round crunchy ice like from Sonic?

How will it feel when you achieve this?

• Emotions drive motion. If you are unmotivated its because you have no strong emotion attached to the outcome. Manufacture the necessary emotion that will illicit momentum. Feeling “good” is not descriptive. Feeling a deep sense of pride, gratitude and peace that brings tears to your eyes when you finally complete your book is more clear. How will you feel when you walk across stage? What will it be like when she says “I do”. Feel it now.

Why is it important?

• Meaning matters. Without a compelling why obstacles can feel overwhelming. Get clear as to what truly motivates you. A statement like "to pay off my debt and create financial freedom for me and my family” could be made more impactful by enhancing the Why. “I want to become debt free and abolish the prison of poverty that has been passed down through my family 10 generations, I want to retire my parents and show them what’s possible and give my kids experiences I dreamed up when I was their age, I want people abundantly and never have to check my bank bank account to decide which restaurant I can my wife to on date night”.

Who will enjoy it with you?

• Relationships are the key to a vision becoming reality. A compelling vision is encompassing and should be big enough to include the goals and vision of those closest to you. A rising tide lifts all ships so as you become better so should your community. Whether you have your tribe or not a clear vision will the right people step forward. Before I had my men I clear picture of who I would be doing life with. “I spend my days in highly creative and collaborative conversations with Kingdom minded men on a mission to make the world a better place”. Get clear on the who and you’ll understand the how.

Retrain, reframe and rewire your brain with repetition.

Most of us are operating from negative and unconscious visions.

We have programming that is running the system of habituated behaviors and we live in an unconscious state by default.

We have years of habits that have become systems of automatic process and change can feel slow and impossible.

It’s because of this we must be deliberate with conscious reprogramming.

Writing a vision once is not enough.

Once the vision is done I have my clients read it out loud while they record it.

I don’t ask them to share the recording with me but I do suggest they review the recording everyday for 30 days.

Think of a song you know by heart…

You recognize the melody and can recite the words as if you’ve written them.

Doesn’t it make sense to have your vision like a melody in your mind that can be called upon at any point?

If you do this for 30 days…

You’ll be shocked at how your thoughts change and what you see in life.

I have 15 question that I take my clients through in the vision building process, I’ve been using them for the 7 years and every year my life gets closer and closer to ideal.

Check it out here and create your Vivid Vision.

Much love and many blessings,

E