The Necessity of Vision

Having a vision for where you want to take yourself is vital for your success today.
40-60 years ago this wasn't necessarily true.
Vision then as compared to now meant following a previous path.
Young people were to follow the same career path as their elders to ensure their own future and security.
The economy supported that lifestyle.
Production of revolutionary goods demanded workers for several generations and so there was no need to think outside the box.
Now however, we are living in a much different economic system.
The laws of how to be successful have changed faster than the masses of workers have been able to keep up with.
For the most part people are still following an outdated path for obtaining career safety.
Lots of people are discouraged with not reviving a guaranteed path from their employers.
These are the employees that are stuck on depending on a system that no longer exists.

Here is what has fundamentally changed about how our economy works:

Companies used to tell consumers what the consumers wanted.
They were able to do this because there were fewer choices consumers could pick from.
Not wanting to miss out on the newest goods and services, consumers would buy whatever companies made.
Now, consumers have taken some of that power back.
The Internet and technology have increased the goods and services consumers can pick from exponentially.
The television show "shark tank" is a great example.
All it takes to start a business is a great idea because someone has the means to launch the idea even if that person is not you.

Success now rests heavily on you.
It rests on your vision for what you can contribute to this economy and to your company.
You can do this as an entrepreneur or an employee.
On the ground level it means figuring out how you can contribute to individual lives in a way that matters enough to them for them to tell their neighbors.

If you are looking to gauge if you are doing this...
Think about the people you called and emailed this week.
How did those CONVERSATIONS go?
Don't think about why you contacted them.
Don't worry about what you do for a living for this thought experiment.
Think about the INTERACTION.
What was the tone?
Was there trust in their tone?
Do they sound WILLING to let you lead them?
Was there appreciation or acknowledgement in the dialogue?
Was there competition in your approach or cooperation?

There needs to be a FEELING of trust.
People buy based on feeling.
There needs to be acknowledgement in your tone.
People refer you to others based on feelings.
Yes you need to be fair.
Yes you need to be smart.
Yes the money you charge needs to make sense.
Those factors qualify you to survive in business.

There HAS to be a personal connection first or all of those other things will make you average.
Average isn't good enough.

Be exceptional instead.

#StrikeAmatch