Build the Lighthouse: Vision

"You can only grow if you are willing to feel awkward and uncomfortable." — Brian Tracy

If you are ever asked to do something or think about something and it is uncomfortable, then you are standing on the edge of a huge growth opportunity. Growth can be defined as the ability to stretch the boundaries of your comfort zone. The only way to expand a comfort zone is to go to the edge of it and push outward.

If you want to become better in any way, you must become aware. Self-awareness matters because it is the only way to become conscious of the things in your life that need changing — and it is far easier to talk about than to do.

A big part of your mind loves to be comfortable. Even when it knows how badly you want to change, even when comfortable is killing you, it will resort to all kinds of tactics to keep you where you are.

This is why the written work matters. Something as simple as writing down what you eat can feel overwhelming and uncomfortable. It is not a failure if you did not do it — but it is a failure if you did not learn by examining why you did not do it. What did skipping it say about your beliefs? About your commitment? About your desire to remain unaware?

Your vision is the tower of the lighthouse. It needs to be a towering vision that draws you in and makes you want to — no, have to — get there.

In Built to Last, Jim Collins described the Big Hairy Audacious Goal: a vision designed to create focus on a single long-term objective that is audacious, likely to be considered questionable by some, but which you internally believe is quite possible. A true one is clear and compelling, serves as a unifying focal point of effort, acts as a catalyst for inspiration, and has a clear finish line so you know when you have reached it.

These are exactly the right kind of goals for building your tower. They should be big, because you are going to grow to fill them. You do not have to fulfill them now, but you do need to set your course for them.

Remember that your vision is like a lighthouse. Even if you cannot see it, you know it is there. You created it, and it will be waiting for you. It can be as big, awesome and outrageous as your beliefs will support.