I want to talk about vision for a moment.
I found the best way to illustrate a vision is to watch the following 2-minute video of JFK’s famous speech and then discuss it.
When was the last time you heard a politician give such an inspiring speech? Probably not for a long while, but never mind.
This speech galvanized the world during one of the most exciting decades in history. Having such an audacious goal was a catalyst not only for the American people, but for all nations as well.
I chose this speech to demonstrate the power of a grand vision, the power of setting big goals that will energize you for a long time. When a vision guides your life, you wake up every morning invigorated.
These excerpts from the speech illustrate the power of a compelling vision.
“William Bradford, speaking in 1630 of the founding of the Plymouth Bay Colony, said that all great and honorable actions are accompanied with great difficulties, and both must be enterprised and overcome with answerable courage”.
Staying on the sidelines or in the stands does not require any effort or courage. But undertaking a life-changing endeavour demands both honorable actions and tremendous bravery. It is indeed praiseworthy to make sweeping changes that create significance in your life, changes that will require you to overcome difficulties with answerable courage.
“We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too”.
What is your big goal for the next decade?
If you don’t have one, I invite you to search for one. A grand goal will provide a level of energy you have never before experienced. The power of a vision lies in its ability to daily energize you towards the achievement of your audacious goal.
In order to have the best life you can, as JFK says, this is a challenge you must be willing to accept, one you are unwilling to postpone, and one which you intend to win.
A big, difficult goal requires the best of ourselves. It requires us to optimize our energies and skills—sometimes even develop new skills. During this process, we become a new person.
“Many years ago the great British explorer George Mallory, who was to die on Mount Everest, was asked why did he want to climb it. He said, ‘Because it is there.’
Well, space is there, and we’re going to climb it, and the moon and the planets are there, and new hopes for knowledge and peace are there. And, therefore, as we set sail we ask God’s blessing on the most hazardous and dangerous and greatest adventure on which man has ever embarked”.
Your life, your future lies ahead of you. Choosing a big goal will require the best from you. Like Mount Everest, it is there and must be conquered. You should climb the peak of your potential, where new hopes for knowledge and peace (in this case, your inner peace) await you.
And as opposed to climbing Mount Everest, it is not hazardous to your health. So why not do it?
“Our hopes for peace and security, our obligations to ourselves as well as others, all require us to make this effort, to solve these mysteries, to solve them for the good of all men”.
I sincerely believe that we can improve our world and our lives only if we all improve individually.
Mankind’s future, as well as our hopes and obligations to ourselves, all require us to work towards defining and achieving our vision.
I encourage you to take an exciting new path and join me in this adventure that is life.
So, think about it and ask yourself:
What should I intend to do in the next decade?
Who do I want to become in the next ten years?