20/20 Vision
About 5 years ago I had to admit that my eyes weren't what they once were. I was becoming nearsighted. I waited longer than I should have but eventually accepted that I needed glasses so that I didn’t squint at subtitles in movies, I could play sports less embarrassingly and not be a danger to other drivers on the road at night.
When it comes to navigating life, most of us have "vision" issues. Not with our physical eyes, but with how we approach life.
You might be more nearsighted - tending to think about what your needs are today, this week, this month.
Or you might be more farsighted - always focusing on where you want to be in 6 months or 6 years from now.
It's okay to be biased towards short term or long term thinking - that may be a result of your personality, experiences or upbringing. The key is to become aware of it and then get a pair of "glasses" to balance out your vision in life.
For people who are shortsighted - thinking mostly of the needs of their present life - they often find themselves maintaining their current life instead of creating what they want next.
For people who are farsighted - thinking mostly of what’s next at the expense of their current responsibilities - they can find themselves always chasing and creating the next thing while their current clients or responsibilities aren't being attended to properly.
To be an effective entrepreneur requires balance - vision and presence.
20/20 vision in life comes from being able to see where you're going (vision) and where you are at now (presence).
Having a vision of where you're going helps you answer questions like, How do I make decisions? Are my current actions leading me where I want to end up? If I continue my patterns, beliefs and habits, where will they lead me? What do I want to create with my life?
Being present to your current life helps you navigate where you are effectively: Where am I now? How can I love serving my current clients? How can I be present to what's going on in myself, my family and friends? How can I fully enjoy my life, right now?
Do you tend to be farsighted or nearsighted? What is that costing you? What are you missing because of your blindspots? What would help you balance your vision to be the kind of person you want to be?
May you learn to become aware of your current level of vision. May you find the people and practices that help you balance your vision to become more effective and joyful. May you have vision for the future so you make effective decisions that create the life and impact you want to have. And may you cultivate presence for where you're at so that you can live responsibly and deeply enjoy whatever season you find yourself in.
