When you’ve set yourself a big goal, or you’re creating something significant, it takes time and daily effort to see any results. Sometimes though, it’s easy to get disillusioned along the way because you’re so close and you can’t the see the tiny changes that are happening right in front of you! In other words, you can’t see the wood for the trees!.
If you’re the one ‘doing the doing’ and the progress is too hard to measure or you lose track of the big picture, the daily grind can get too much and the vision can become blurred enough to make you give up!
Maybe it’s time to take a moment now to step back and appreciate just how far you’ve come!
I love being part of the creation of something, especially one that takes time. That’s why I’m loving, living on the farm. We have a big vision for our life here, one that involves daily work and commitment. John has been working hard planting organic garlic and although I’m not involved in the daily care, I can see the work and detail that is being put into it. It’s very exciting to see it grow and we’re looking forward to a successful crop! We have a few people helping us with the planting and the other day one of them came back and commented on how much the farm had changed. There’s new fences, new cattle, new growth everywhere! Because we’re here every day, we don’t see the daily changes that are taking place. Hearing it from someone that saw it instantly gave us a fresh boost and felt good!
I am in complete admiration when I visit a beautiful place or see an amazing event that has clearly had hours, days, months or years of daily effort poured into creating it. We all enjoy visiting places that are filled with love, detail and inspiration; I recognise and admire the tenacity and staying power that goes behind the daily commitment it takes to create something like that.
There’s 5 key ingredients that need to be in place to ensure your big vision unfolds successfully.
Vision. Plan. Commitment. Faith. Love.
Let’s explore them a bit more…
Revisit the vision.
Maybe it’s time to get some fresh perspective and step back far enough to be able to see where it all began – and compare it to where you are now. You had a vision, an idea and that idea was exciting enough to start. All you need to do is go back to where it all began and refresh the excitement and inspiration that set it all in motion. If you’ve got a vision board, that’s a great thing to see things visually. Remind yourself of the ‘why’ and the ‘what’ will become a whole lot easier!
Have a plan & track your progress. If you’re creating a business, you have a business plan. If you’re building a house, you have a set of blueprints. It stands to reason that if you’re creating anything or going anywhere, having a map to give you directions is going to be a big help. Sure, some people love to wing it and just go with the flow. I like that too up to a point. But I’ve seen people flounder and get stuck with just about anything without some kind of guide to come back to and follow when the going gets tough and you lose your way. Seek guidance from people who have real experience and learn from their mistakes. Look ahead and plan what’s going to be required before you start. Then make your own decisions and set out on your own path.
Commit and re-commit. Once you’ve got a vision, you need to commit to it. Be real about what it’s going to take for you to create it. Many projects get abandoned half way through lack of commitment to the process. Being committed is only half way. Now you have to work out how to re-commit – daily. Most people have experienced the high of starting a new project, only to quickly fall into a low of the reality of the actual daily repetitive steps needed to make it happen. Have ways of re-committing to your project – starting with accepting that it’s normal to not feel like doing some things some times. If you get stuck on the daily grind, re-visit your vision – print out pictures on your wall. Have a buddy that will set you back on track. Refer to your plan. Take a baby step. Find your flow. Go back to the moment and don’t get stuck in the outcome.
Have faith in the process. Once you’ve set out on the path, you’ve got to give it time. You can't pull a crop up to see if it’s growing. Just do your homework and then follow your plan. Don’t keep changing your mind about the methods, follow your plan through to the end – be flexible enough to bend and shape it suit, but don’t give up and start again before it’s proven to be right or wrong. Decide on your path and go for it. Make a decision and go with it 100%. The easiest way to get you back on track is to congratulate yourself with how far you’ve come, to step back and see it with fresh eyes. Create some perspective by taking photos, writing a journal, documenting the progress.
Love what you’re doing & congratulate yourself. Do something you love and the love will show at the end. The secret is to enjoy the journey and don’t get attached to the outcome. Keep the vision in your mind, but don’t assume exactly how it will look. Be flexible enough to accept the creation of your vision in different forms. It might not look exactly how you imagined, but it will evolve according to the amount of love you pour into it. It’s such a boost to remind yourself how far you’ve come. The main thing to remember is to enjoy the journey!
I hope I’ve inspired you to either start a new project or re-commit to your existing one!