One of the most common mistakes people make around Vision is to hold their applause for the end... You’ve probably been to a graduation commencement or awards ceremony for your kids where the announcer admonishes the crowd to hold their applause until all the names have been called. Which makes sense. We’ve got 480 names to get through and if we stop and cheer for every one of them, we’re going to be here for 14 hours, and I don’t care how much you love your kids, no one wants that. But of course there are always the parents who can’t help themselves and burst into applause when their kid’s name is called. All the rule followers tisk-tisk and look down their noses at the noisy hooligans. But maybe the rule breakers are on to something. Maybe, in life anyway, it’s better not to hold your applause until the end.
Here at IMS we train and guide people along the journey from where they are now to the realization of the Vision they have for a life of their making. But I find it’s not unusual for some people to suffer all the way from point A to the fulfillment of Vision. They hold beliefs about putting their nose to the grindstone and not celebrating anything until there's something to celebrate. But you've heard the old saying that life is about the journey, right? Well, as canned as that may sound, it actually couldn't be more true.
Charlie has a Vision. He imagines a life where he is the owner and CEO of a company that develops commercial real estate, specifically, high rise buildings. He sees himself married, with two or three kids, living in an upscale neighborhood on Long Island, luxury cars, a membership at an exclusive country club, vacations in Hawaii, Aspen, and the south of France. He sees himself being physically fit and vibrant, mountain biking, surfing, and snow skiing. In other words, Charlie has some very specific ideas about what he wants his life to look like. Which, when it comes to naming Vision, puts him way ahead of the game. But here’s the thing, Charlie’s only 22, he just graduated college with a degree in business management. The full realization of the life he wants is probably 10 to 15 years away. And Charlie is one of those nose-to-grindstone types I mentioned a second ago.
Charlie grew up in a very conservative home with parents who peppered him with all the sayings: Don’t count your chickens before they hatch, Don’t bite off more than you can chew, Rome wasn’t built in a day. Charlie’s nervous system was conditioned with a belief that the ends not only justify, but are more important than the means. In other words, don’t celebrate the achievements along the way; hold your applause until the end. And don’t get me wrong, there’s wisdom in those old proverbs. Probably best not to count your chickens before they hatch, but you can celebrate and appreciate all the eggs that were laid. If some of them don’t hatch, we can manage that when the time comes.
So Charlie attends his graduation ceremony (his parents dutifully remaining silent until the last name is called) but he doesn’t stop to enjoy his accomplishment. Not yet. He gets his real estate brokers license and gets hired by one the premiere commercial real estate agencies in the tri-state area, but he doesn’t feel satisfied. Not yet. He meets and falls pretty hard for a woman who shares many of the same aspirations as Charlie, but the relationship doesn’t quite feel whole or complete. Not quite yet, anyway.
Charlie is not unique. I’ve worked with a lot of clients who choose to hold their applause until the end. And it occurs in a variety of ways. There are the If I only had… people, the ones who get the thing they think they need, still feel unfilled, then go after the next shiny object, never realizing what they have right in front of them. There are the I don’t deserve happiness unless I… people, those who believe their worthiness is tied to some type of accomplishment, who become so fixated on proving themselves that they are incapable of experiencing joy along the way. I could keep going, but I think you get the idea. Whatever your idea of a fulfilling Vision for life, the emotional patterning conditioned into your nervous system may be setting up roadblocks, keeping you from enjoying all the stops along the journey.
The way we train Vision at IMS is to make certain that the foundation of Vision is how we FEEL. Charlie can start by imagining he’s already fulfilled his Vision (Owner/CEO, thriving family, in top notch physical shape), and then ask himself the question, When I get there, how do I think I am going to feel? (confident, connected, fulfilled). See, he doesn’t have to wait to start living inside those feelings. He can start training them TODAY, tomorrow, next Tuesday, and every step along the way to the actual Having. In this way, Charlie can live Vision Fulfilled now AND when he achieves the thing. That's the secret to enjoying every step of the journey toward fulfilling your vision.
So stop holding your applause until the end. Join us for our Power Series and start gathering the tools, techniques, and strategies for not only naming your Vision for life, but to start living in the emotions of Vision Fulfilled everyday along the way. Click HERE to learn more about the Power Series and sign up today!