6.Recognise that all vision has seasonal components within it

? Vision takes on many forms and expressions.

I have watched four of my children grow from being dependent upon my support and advice, to now making their own decisions and plans without so much as a conversation with me. The plans I held for their lives have in part come to pass and in other areas not so. As a parent of vision, we too must recognize that other dynamics play a part within the whole.

Seasons in life have great rewards, but we cannot force a summer in the middle of winter.

"In the depths of winter I finally learned there was in me an invincible summer." -Albert Camus.

I love that thought! We may not be able to change the seasons of our vision but we can look forward to the season that is to come. When there is a winter within your plans or a summer upon your resources, treat them both with the same response. Be thankful for the cleansing power of winter with an eye upon the warmth of summer.

As with our children, when they hit times of winter and we feel they should be living in a time of spring, we must recognize that with all the strategies available to us, we cannot live our plans through the choices of others. "Write your plans in the sand, and your goals in marble"

? What did you really see?

As we have mentioned before in this topic, vision is all about foresight, seeing the invisible, creating a preferable future. Vision creates a finished picture for us, and our responsibility is to work towards it with the understanding, resources and skills at our disposal. One important aspect to keep in focus whilst moving towards that future is what is set before us is nearly always, more inviting to what we presently see.

Re-visit the former days, read the notes and consider the landmarks we have achieved. Take a deep breath and seek those that can support you towards your preferable future.

? Don't despise small beginnings

Years ago I was walking in my local park in Auckland, when I became aware of the thousands upon thousands of acorns that were spread all over the luscious green turf. I picked one up and It immediately reminded me of the times I spent as a child playing "Conkers". A game where the chestnut is suspended upon a string and a fellow competitor tries to smash it with theirs. Then my mind raced to my home and all the timber that is within it, both decoratively and structurally. By the end of the day, I had over 100 hundred different statistics that the "mighty Oak" was responsible for. And it all comes from one small acorn.

I placed this outside my office door with a note "what do you see?" The next day one of my colleagues had mischeviously entered my office and poured upon my desk and office furniture, hundreds of acorns and a further note "Now what do you see?"

Perspective is all about how you see it. Attitude is all about how you approach it. Vision is all about how you apply it.

Never despise the acorn, as fully-grown it provides far more than it could as a seed, but the potential was always there. What do you see?

Tony Mckeown is director of Coaching 4 life NZ and regularly travels the world speaking and motivating groups and conferences. His passion and personal mission statement in Life is "To bring a message of hope to a people of destiny". Tony has authored many "How To" manuals along with regular weekly and monthly newsletters.

His services and free motivational downloads are available from his resource site http://www.coaching4life.net.nz