I try to be a “there are no accidents” kind of person. So over the years I have become a big fan of attempting to create more consciously in all aspects of my life. An important step in that process is creating a personal vision.
By simply creating a picture and story of your life off in the distance, one that you are not yet living but you can feel, can deliver some amazing things. An important step is to not try and figure out how you will get there; question if you will get there; or judge if this will happen or not happen. Just imagine and picture the bliss of the arrival point. This is about leveraging your own imagination and intuition for guidance. It truly is about the journey and an ever-changing vision as you clarify and identify more of what you want.
One of the best things about having Julian as a coach is his reminders that our old, and usually unconscious, operating system is often insufficient in getting us much what we want. So what does that mean? If means that as we go through life, we are impacted by many people, circumstances, family, schools, habits, etc. that may or may not serve us well. This “old operating system” results in creating beliefs we subscribe to that are, far too often, very limiting. Another way to look at this is “we conform” to how we think we are “supposed to be”. Far too often, our old operating system can not only prevent us from experiencing joy, but can also result in a fair amount of unnecessary suffering.
Those limits often become beliefs that we cannot do something.
Creating a vision not only allows one to side-step your unconscious limiting beliefs, but will most likely result in setting the tone for a new way of thought and a path to greater satisfaction.
As I sat down to update my vision last year, which was at a point 10 years in the future, my intention was to start my own sales training & technology business. The vision that flowed forth was flush with detail. My new business would create amazing amounts of joy, allow for tons of personal creativity, provide opportunities to create and combine the many things I had learned over the years, allow for collaboration with many great people, help businesses and individuals get a handle on one of the things that had plagued me in every business I had worked in - sales, and provide personal financial freedom.
More than ever before, everything in my vision (life) was interconnected: home, work, relationships, my kids, and my time. No work / life silos. Could this be the beginning of finding true work/life balance?
The foundation for me getting more of what I want was set in motion, and the foundation for my coaching relationship with Julian was set.
While I don’t read my vision in detail very often; because it is part of me, remembering the essence of it is pretty easy. Like in business, tracking and action towards something is vitally important, and the same is true for your vision. Gauging your actions against it is not only critical, but can be comforting. A quick end of day, “Am I in momentum?” is all that is necessary.
Julian asks me often, “Are you in momentum?” Momentum as in positive movement towards what I want. It’s a simple introspective question that can be asked at any point in time, whether as a check of past or future actions, meetings, customer interaction, phone calls, etc. For me momentum feels like things are effortless, fun, energizing, and absent of worrisome thoughts or self-criticism. It’s those times when I am training a sales team and words just flow from an inspired place; those times when it is hard to even remember what I said!
Creating and focusing on my vision feels like the ultimate life compass. A security blanket that comforts. A mechanism for immediate feedback. And a truly empowered path for creating a life of fulfillment.
Russ Salzer is an accomplished business leader with over 25 years of expertise in building marketing, sales and operational teams, revitalizing infrastructure, developing and executing strategic plans, and driving businesses to greater levels of profitability. Russ’ knowledge of the interdependency of people on business results, combined with his ability to dramatically improve interpersonal relationships and develop teams, creates a competitive advantage that delivers rapid and sustainable results. His approach to success through even the most extraordinary challenges, has been to ensure the workplace is accountable, open and honest. He is currently on a mission to help businesses effectively support their marketing and sales teams in consistently growing top-line revenue with a proven and methodical training and technology process through 3YG Sales Training Technology. Contact Russ at russ@3yg.us
Julian Cohen has more than two decades of experience in Executive Coaching. He is acknowledged for his skill in facilitating the expeditious realization of extraordinary results. His expertise includes coaching CEO's, Fortune 500 company senior managers, and prominent professionals. He attended New York University School of Commerce, with a major in Banking and Finance and holds a law degree from Brooklyn Law School. His professional experience includes the creation of a $60 million dollar investment portfolio and an entrepreneurial role in developing three innovative companies widely known within their industries. The depth and breadth of his community involvement extends over a 40-year span and currently involves voluntary work with international and locally known organizations. Contact Julian at icoachu@msn.com