Elevate Your Mind by Jim Stovall
I hate to be the one to give you the bad news, but life is not fair. Life is great, it’s grand, and it’s wonderful, as well as being the only game in town—but it’s not fair. We don’t always get what we want, need, or even deserve, but we will always eventually get what we expect.
Our vision drives our expectations, which drives our performance, which creates our results. You cannot outperform the vision you have of yourself. You may think it odd to be getting advice from a blind person about vision; however, vision is the opposite in many ways of sight. Sight tells you where you are and what’s around you. Vision tells you where you could be and what is possible.
My mentor and friend Jack Nicklaus often says, “I never hit a successful golf shot until I visualize it in my mind going exactly where I want it to go.”
In order to supercharge our vision, we often need to get away from the mundane and ordinary elements of life to explore the realm of possibility. Pablo Picasso said, “Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.” Oftentimes, we get so caught up in maintaining the status quo that we forget to consider the universe of options and opportunities. It’s easy to become so busy making a living that we forget to make a life.
There are certain works of literature and pieces of music that can elevate my thinking and get me away from the day-to-day routine of responsibilities. It’s important, periodically, to rise above the fray, gain a new perspective, and evaluate your course. Habits are good and can serve us well within our daily routine, but we must form an additional habit of re-examining the routine so that we can be not only productive but creative.
My friend and colleague Paula Marshall and I wrote a book together entitled The Executive Entrepreneur. Paula is the third-generation CEO of a multimillion-dollar, multinational company, and I am a startup entrepreneur. Paula and I discovered that executives need elements of entrepreneurship to stay current and creative, and entrepreneurs need executive training to manage what they have built.
As you go through your day today, take care of the here and now, but consider the realm of possibilities.
Today’s the day!
This and other motivational pieces by bestselling author Jim Stovall can be found in his latest collection of columns, Wisdom for Winners Volume Four, an official publication of the Napoleon Hill Foundation.