Driven by Vision

A “Washington Post” reporter wrote recently, “Jimmy Carter was a good, honest man and the system ate him up.” Isn’t that how it is? Those who are honest, decent human beings seem to be at the mercy of those who are not.

Legacy

Bill Alexander was an honest, decent human being. He spent a lifetime building what he hoped would be his legacy. Today, Bill is a mere footnote in someone else’s story. When I first realized this, I have to admit I struggled with my outrage. I spent a lot of time obsessing on how wrong it was and found, over time, that it was clouding my better judgment. It hindered me from accomplishing the important aspects of my work.

I was listening to a podcast, the other day, with Brian Kurtz and Dr. Jeremy Weisz. They were talking about facing, and overcoming, obstacles in your life. Brian repeated a statement that he heard from psychologist and speaker Sean Stephenson. Sean said, “I love everybody, because as soon as I stop loving you, you own me.”

Sean meant that when we obsess on those people or things, that bother us, we lose our focus – our direction. The reason we lose our way is because we don’t have any direction, or any vision, for our lives.

If I were to ask you right now, “What is your vision in life?” How would you answer that question? Most people can’t answer that question because they’ve never thought about it. So let’s take a step back for a minute and think about this whole idea of vision and how we stay on track.

Gratefulness

In the podcast, Brian talks about how he begins each day. He writes down in a notebook, or just on a sheet of paper, three things for which he’s grateful. Then he writes down three things that will make the day great. At the end of the day, he writes down three “wins” that happened during the day. This is a great routine, don’t you think, because it keeps you focused on the positive events in your life?

Don’t you think Bill was grateful for his life? In many of Bill’s videos he turns to the camera and says, “You got me here and I thank you for that.” Bill knew his fans helped him live the life he wanted and he was grateful. More importantly, he was not afraid, ashamed or too proud to acknowledge it.

Playing amidst the unexploded World War I ordnance as a child should have killed him. Growing up in abject poverty, with a lack of quality healthcare, was a constant threat to his survival. Almost killed three times during World War II, Bill knew to appreciate and be grateful for his life.

Bill lived hand to mouth for years but never gave up on his vision of becoming an artist. Was he a starving artist? No, in his mind, he saw himself as a successful artist! He was doing exactly what he wanted to do and it always seemed that he got whatever he needed, when he needed it. You bet, Bill had a vision. That vision drove everything he did in his life.

Your vision

When you make your list of three things that will make today great, this is not just a to-do list. It’s a list of those things that will help you reach your vision. Won’t that make your day great? When you reflect on the events of the day, you will find your three “wins”. You already “stacked the deck” when you decided to make today great!

I, also, like the idea of the three groups of three. How many times have you started a to-do List only to give up, later, because it’s just too overwhelming? I know I have.

Our vision

We’ve already posted, both, Alexander Art’s vision and the beliefs that fuel that vision. Our vision keeps us focused on what’s important. Your vision will keep you focused, as well. You don’t have to love the trolls and the haters, but you, also, don’t have to play their game.

Take some time today to think about what you want to do with the rest of your life. Make a commitment to focus only on that vision.