{Series Part 2}–The Ant and the Elephant: Clarifying your Vision

Welcome back to part 2 of a 6 part series about chasing your dream. Last week I began a conversation about the concept of a dream and talked about why dreams are important. I also introduced a few characters from a book called “The Ant and the Elephant” by Vince Poscente. If you haven’t read week 1, I encourage you to take a minute to go back and read it and familiarize yourself with the basic ideas. For the next 5 weeks we are going to focus on how to make those dreams a reality.  

At the end of week 1 we learned that in order to achieve our dreams we need to be able to guide our elephant. Brio the owl teaches Adir the ant 5 lessons he can do to align his dream with the elephant’s.

The first lesson he teaches is CLARIFY YOUR VISION. Brio explains, “Before you start any journey, you must know why the journey is worth the effort it will take to get you there. . .Zero in on a goal that has a depth of meaning. The journey has to be worth taking.”

vision—where you want to go that is different than where you are now

The first time I read this book, the image of speaking on stage came to mind. I’d never really wanted to speak—it wasn’t ever a dream of mine—but something came alive in me as I read those chapters. That isn’t a dream for everyone, though. Some people dream of having more money, being able to travel, creating or donating to charities, experiencing better health, and so many other things. It doesn’t matter what you dream about, but knowing why is key. Why is it important? What do you want it for? What will it do for you? Focus on the reason.

Next, create a picture of your dream. The human nervous system cannot tell the difference between an actual experience and an experience imagined vividly and in detail. Use all 5 senses to create an even more thorough vision. Where are you? What do you see? What do you hear? Are there any smells or tastes associated with your dream? Describe every part of it.

In the book “Think and Grow Rich”, Napoleon Hill gives 6 steps to help create a detailed vision.

1. Fix in your mind the exact thing you want. Be definite.
2. Determine what you will give in return—there is no such thing as something for nothing.
3. Establish a date for when you will get what you want.
4. Create a plan and put the plan into action.
5. Write out a statement that includes all the information in the above steps.
6. Read the statement aloud morning and night. See, Feel, Believe that you are already in possession of it. Believe it will happen.

Next, find what Brio calls the elephant buzz. Find the emotion that ignites the vision. This step goes back to knowing your why. Many people recommend asking why 3 times. Why do you want to speak on stage? Because I want to teach people. Why do you want to teach people? Because I have learned a lot that has helped me and I want to share that with others. Why do you want share it with others? Because I think others want to learn what I have learned and make changes in their own lives. Keep asking why until you get an emotion. Procrastination comes from non-emotion. We tend to not move forward on a dream because we don’t feel it.

Last, create a vision board with your dream. There are so many ways to build vision boards. Over the summer, though, I attended a workshop with 3 Key Elements that taught a different technique. This method made so much more sense to me.

1. Choose a dream and get a picture of it. Find something that is a close as possible to the vision you have created in your mind.
2. Post the picture somewhere.
3. Add a one sentence description of your dream, using emotion words.
4. Look at the picture for 3 minutes every morning and evening.
5. Read the description them look at the picture. . .repeat.
6. Call up the emotion for the dream. See it, Say it, Feel it.
7. Write down any ideas that come to you during those 3 minutes and decide how take action.
8. Continue educating yourself about your dream.

So, the first step to achieve your dream is to CLARIFY YOUR VISION. Decide why you want what you want, create a clear picture of it, and add emotion. Visit that vision every day.

Come back next week to learn the next step—CREATING POSITIVE DOMINANT THOUGHTS.

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