Lately, Rena and I have been talking about what’s possible, and why it’s so important that people discover their purpose and live their legacy. We’ve been exploring the grand vision for people. We believe we’ve come up with a good way for you to see it.
World Changers
List 5 or so people that you know – either personally, or that you know of – that have made a really big impact in the world. Who are the world changers that you admire?
When we (Rena and I) did this, we listed the following people: Billy Graham, Martin Luther King, Jr, Eugene Lang, Dave Ramsey, Tracey Trottenberg (one of our coaches), Paul (from the Bible), Moses, Oprah. We didn’t list Jesus because in our view He is God and we didn’t think we could attain that level of perfection. You might list different people, which is fine.
Got your list? No? Stop reading, and make your list – right now.
Characteristics
Now, write down what these people have in common. You might describe what they do, and you might also write down the common character qualities of these people.
When we did this, we wrote the following:
- Change a lot of people’s lives – not just a few, and not just family
- Help people be better versions of themselves
- Make things possible for people
- Are focused
- Know what they want to create
- They make real change rather than just addressing symptoms
- They live an inspiring legacy
- They not just busy, they create tangible results
We didn’t list character qualities at the time, but this is what I would list for character qualities:
- Intentional
- Confident
- Self-assured
- Bold
- Leader
- Authentic
- Vulnerable
- Trust worthy
- Compassionate
What did you put down for your lists? If you didn’t create these lists, stop right now and list out the characteristics and qualities of these world changers that you admire.
The Vision
This list of characteristics and qualities you just wrote is the grand vision for you. The words you wrote are the one’s that resonate with you. These are the characteristics and qualities you are yearning for yourself. If you were to use our words, the vision is something like this:
I am a confident, self-assured, bold leader who has integrity and is authentic, vulnerable and compassionate. I create lasting, deep, change for a lot of people, helping them become better versions of themselves. I make new things possible for people. I hold a clear focus for my life. I live an inspiring legacy that will last for generations.
Write a similar one with your words in it.
Wow! Now that’s a vision! It probably could be more specific, yet it is still a pretty good start.
This vision (your version of it), can be you. I deeply believe this. If you read through your vision statement and imagine this being you right now, how does that feel? Do you let it touch your soul?
Current State
To take this a step further, make a scale on a piece of paper labeling it from 1 to 10 – from a small world change to a huge one. A “one” on the scale would be for someone who basically lives a daily routine in life and not much more. A “ten” is the perfect world changing person. Put the world changing person you most admire on this scale.
Now, rate yourself on this scale. It will look something like this:
10
| (BG)
|
|
|
| (me)
|
|
|
1
How did you rate yourself? My guess is that you have a gap between the person you admire and your current state. What would it take for you to be like that world changer you admire – even if you just got half way there? What qualities would you need to take on to be somebody like this? How focused, and purpose driven would you need to be?
Now that you see your gap, what do you want to do about it? If you continue life as usual, is that going to be good enough for you? What do you want your life to be all about? What do you see for your next step?
