How Vision Can Change Your Future
“Do you have a vision for your future?”
That’s one of the questions I asked myself when I heard the story of Isaac Lidsky.
Lidsky is an entrepreneur. He started his entrepreneurial journey being the co-founder of an internet startup.
Besides being an entrepreneur, Lidsky was a lawyer too, serving as a law clerk for two U.S. Supreme Court Justices.
He was also a bestselling author and sought after keynote speaker.
And most recently, Lidsky went on to build ODC Construction, a $150 million construction services company that was one of the fastest growing in the industry.
At an age of only 39, this list of achievements is remarkable.
But what’s even more extraordinary is that he’s blind.
The blind entrepreneur
Lidsky was born with a rare eye disease.
From the age of 12 to 25, he slowly lost his sight and became blind.
Finding it hard to believe, isn’t it?
Here is a man who had more success than most of us, yet he couldn’t see the achievements he had built. He had a condition that most would think is hopeless, yet he did the seemingly impossible as a blind man.
Have you ever wondered, as I had, how people like him could push beyond their own limitations to become successful?
It isn’t always about inborn talent or the environment you grew up in. It isn’t that one person has more opportunities than the other.
The reason is because — he has vision even without sight.
It’s because he sees what he wanted to become in the future, and he acted on becoming it in the present. He believes that he is destined for greatness.
“Vision is the art of seeing what is invisible to others.” — Jonathan Swift
In his TED talk, Lidsky said, “If I had not confronted the reality of my fear, I would have lived it. I am certain of that. So how do you live your life eyes wide open? It is a learned discipline. It can be taught. It can be practised.”
Just think about it. He had every reason — more than us — to give up on his dreams. Even if he had lived an ordinary life, people would have understood him for it. But he didn’t take mediocrity as an answer. He kept fighting for his dreams.
The plight of sight
“You open your eyes and there’s the world. Seeing is believing. Sight is truth. Right?” — Issac Lidsky
It’s one of life’s greatest gifts to be able to see.
Sight brings colour to the world. It brings about a vibrancy. It makes life beautiful and the world comes alive.
How different it would be without sight!
Everyone knows the parable of the blind men and an elephant. When asked what an elephant looks like after feeling different sides of the animal, all of them had different views of it. One thinks it looks like a snake, the other thinks it looks like a wall. Without sight, their perspectives are vastly different.
This is how we view the world too. The way we see the things around us directs our understanding of the world.
We understand by learning. And we learn by our senses.
Many times, we come to terms with what we see. We don’t challenge assumptions. We don’t cross boundaries. We accept the things that happen around us.
It’s the same as how we see ourselves. If we see ourselves as someone who’s quiet, then we reserve from expressing our views in conversations. If we see ourselves as being adventurous, then we travel around the world looking for excitement. Right?
How we perceive becomes who we are.
That’s the crux of the matter. If we can change how we perceive things, can we change how our lives will turn out to be?
Vision is your reality tomorrow
“You see, sight is just one way we shape our reality” — Issac Lidsky
If you can determine how your future will turn out to be, will you want to make sure it happens?
If your answer is yes, then here’s a simple truth: Our future is broken down into our days. And our days are cascaded from what we do today and how we plan for tomorrow.
This is where vision is important.
When you have a vision, you have a direction for the path ahead of you. You know what you want to do next.
So while sight is your reality now, vision is your reality tomorrow.
If someone were to come up to you and say,
“Write down your vision in 10 years’ time.
- Who do you see yourself as?
- What do you see yourself doing?
- Why is that important to you?
- How are you going to accomplish that?”
Are you able to see it clearly? Or is it fuzzy to you?
Having as much clarity on it will translate to the strength of the vision. And when your vision is strong, changing how you think and shaping your future will be a feat within reach.
Perceiving your intentions
“Hold yourself accountable for every moment, every thought, every detail. See beyond your fears.” — Issac Lidsky
It’s common to see people write down their vision and neglect it the next day.
And that happens for me too. True story.
Every time I wrote down a vision, I’d be excited for that week. I’d be pumped up to conquer my day. The energy and drive were impeccable. But once the novelty died, the energy drained and the doubts returned, the vision was gone.
So I asked myself, “Does vision really work?”
It did work.
Well, but not until I wrote down an action plan together with the vision.
Here’s a trend that I realised: Most people know what their vision looks like, but they aren’t taking any action towards it. They aren’t making progress. The vision they have is just a figment, a thought that’s at the back of their minds while they go through the routines of their lives.
So, this is the crucial link in the chain — are you moving, every single day, towards your vision?
Are you making a conscious effort — setting aside blocks of time in your day to work on it; learning about the topic; or meeting people who can inspire you?
Because until there’s an endeavour, and until there’s a necessity, your vision will only remain as your thoughts.
Now… Make a choice
“I chose to step out of fear’s tunnel into terrain uncharted and undefined. I chose to build there a blessed life.” — Issac Lidsky
It always boils down to the choices, isn’t it? The decisions.
No one is going to make that for you.
So make that choice. Even a little a day counts.
Though it won’t turn out exactly as you planned, you won’t ever regret it.
Whatever vision that you have, write it down, make it clear, and keep moving forward towards it every single day.
I’ll see you at the end of the tunnel.
