Chapter 11. Bringing It All Together—Committing to Your Vision
Rob made his way down the long empty hallway, listening to the noise of his sneakers squeaking on the polished flooring. Not sneaking, he thought, as he stopped in front of the door he wanted and knocked.
“Come in.”
Professor Draper turned from his credenza holding a bone-white cup and saucer. The tag of a tea bag hung from one side of the cup. He wore a tweed jacket, but at least one without leather elbow patches.
“Do you want a cup?”
Rob shook his head.
His advisor nodded toward one of the two guest chairs near his desk. He eased himself down into his chair.
“You’re back a touch early. Was it an eventful summer back in Blakenfield, or were you run out of town?”
“Eventful. I see now why you suggested spending my time there might be productive. I also see why you suggested those two business courses I took earlier, along with all the units in Computer Engineering.”
“I’m your advisor, but also a touch unorthodox. I believe a lot happens outside the classroom that is also part of learning. Most people need to explore their important life insights on their own—with the right guidance, of course.” Professor Draper’s eye twinkled the way it did when he was enthused. “I’m anxious to hear all, and especially how the business courses helped.”
“Well, they helped in a way I hadn’t expected. I ended up thinking a lot about identity this summer, mine as well as the identities of others. I found it a deeper subject than I expected, and also that I didn’t know nearly as much as I thought I did.”
“It is ever thus when learning the really good stuff.”
“One of the really odd insights, and I attribute this to the business courses, was that I got to thinking about identity the way you’d think about a brand. On the way home I read Do You Matter?—How Great Design Will Make People Love Your Company, from the suggested reading list you gave us. The authors say that a useful way to look at brand is that it is like an individual’s character or identity. ‘What matters is what people think and feel about your brand. And you don’t control that. While you cannot control what people feel, what you must do is provide influence and make sure that how you’re doing this authentically represents who you are and what you offer.’ The real zinger for me was the line, ‘Your brand lives in your customer’s gut—it’s not what you say it is, it’s what they say it is.’ Successful companies pride themselves on having core values and want those reflected in their products. They seek out customers who share those values and are committed to offering them great experiences and making their lives a little better—sometimes a lot better. The amazing thing, at least to me, is that each of us can follow that same path—have a vision, the way companies have a mission statement, keep our actions in line with our values—and that should almost always lead to success.”
“Hmm...I believe you really have had a productive summer.”
“That’s not all. One of the things we can learn from companies is that they are in danger when their products become commodities. When they don’t generate goods and services based on emotional consumer needs, then they have a fragile bond. They start not to matter anymore. Take Starbucks. If it’s only about price and product, they can get hammered when McDonald’s starts competing with cappuccinos.
Companies that matter do so because they have formed a genuine emotional bond with consumers and are dedicated to the quality of their customer’s experience. I’m not saying people should think of themselves as selling a product. But I do think you should take a look at your life in that light—your values and the experience people have when they are with you. So I arrived home with the question in mind: ‘How can I make people’s lives a little better?’”
“Sounds like you had a pretty insightful time of it. Now, tell me about the people. I always like to hear about people.”
Step #9—Commit to Your Vision
Put all your energy and effort toward achieving your goals. Enthusiasm and commitment generate excellence, and that leads to success. The challenge is to develop the ability to coexist with the world as it changes, never giving in and never giving up.
Enduringly successful people are people who, at some point in their life, got over the syndrome of thinking, “We’re all in this alone!”
Senator John McCain learned this lesson the hard way.
I like this quote from Senator McCain because it speaks to the heart of knowing who you are—being clear about your identity, your values, and what matters to you—along with making a commitment to a vision of creating value in the world. This is your passport to success.
Now it’s up to you. I thought it would be helpful for you to have the Nine-Step Success Process all in one place to guide you in your work. You do have to do the work. You don’t have to do it alone. Follow the process, and a great life of lasting success will be yours.
Nine-Step Success Process
Step 1: Check Your ID
Before you decide what you want for your life, you first must understand who you are, what the influences are on your life, and why you think and act the way you do. Self-awareness is where success begins. It is difficult to understand the world and how you respond to it until you first know yourself. What are your strengths? What moves you forward? What are your weaknesses? What holds you back? What are your patterns of behavior? What are your passions? Sometimes the biggest obstacles to success are those that we unconsciously put in our own paths. Past hurts, business or career downfalls, and negative attitudes hold you back. Learn from the bad experiences and failures, and let them go. Focus your life on what you love and care about, and you will never work a day in your life.
Step 2: Create Your Vision
Your vision is your life’s destination. It helps you realize and explore your dreams and aspirations. It keeps you focused and helps minimize distractions. It can determine your greatness.
A well-defined vision enables you to set meaningful goals for your business or personal life. How do you envision your future and what is possible for you? Describe the short- and long-term goals that you have for your life personally and professionally.
Step 3: Develop Your Travel Plan
Prepare for the future. If you are to fulfill your vision for a better life, you must create a plan of action. When you begin to work toward your goals through a plan of action, you assert power over your life. You know who you are, where you’re going, and how you’re going to get there. Planning saves time, keeps you focused, and builds confidence.
Someone said that the purpose of goals is to focus our attention. The mind will not reach toward achievement until it has clear objectives. The magic begins when we set goals. It is then that the switch is turned on, the current begins to flow, and the power to accomplish becomes a reality. Whatever you focus on expands.
Step 4: Master the Rules of the Road
You need guidelines to keep you on track in pursuit of a better life. The rules are constant and enduring; they do not change. Characteristics to guide your life:
• Honesty
• Trust
• Hard work
• Determination
• Positive attitude
Step 5: Step into the Outer Limits
To grow, you have to leave your comfort zone, confront fears, and take risks. Fear of the unknown is one of the greatest obstacles you will face when you’re traveling the journey of the Success Process. To be successful, you must learn to overcome that natural fear and step outside what has become comfortable and familiar. Key points to remember:
• Risk is a natural part of life.
• Staying the same is standing still.
• Change (growth) means risk.
Step 6: Pilot the Seasons of Change
If you keep doing what you have always done, you will get the same results. Learn how to create change and manage your response. Dealing with changing circumstances is important, but creating and managing your response to change in your life is probably an even greater part of the Success Process. Challenges happen when the pace of change exceeds our ability to change, and events move faster than our understanding. But with change comes opportunity and growth.
Step 7: Build Your Dream Team
No one makes it alone. Build supportive relationships, perhaps with mentors who will help you work toward your goals. Learn to trust and be trustworthy. You’ll need the help and encouragement of others. With a great team helping you, you can do more than you ever could alone. Include people who care about you and believe in your goals. Trust is critical to building a strong support team. Credibility comes with a pattern of behavior. Trust is not easily earned; real trust is established over time.
Remember: Mentors pick you; you do not pick them.
Step 8: Win by a Decision
What you are in this world is largely the result of the decisions you have made so far in your life. The choices that you make will be one of your greatest challenges. How can you tell the difference between a good and a bad decision? Good decisions have desirable consequences: They help you grow and reach your goal. Bad decisions have undesirable consequences. Continue to maximize your decision-making ability by considering the impact it will have in these areas:
• Family impact
• Profession and career impact
• Job impact
• Long-term vision
Step 9: Commit to Your Vision
Devote your time and energy on a consistent basis to pursue your goals and vision.
Enthusiasm and commitment generate excellence, and that leads to success. A commitment is something you live and something you renew and fulfill every day. It is doing rather than saying.
Your success is based on your commitment to discovery:
1. Discover who you are.
2. Discover how to apply this knowledge to the world you live in.
3. Make the discovery process part of your daily routine to sustain success over a lifetime.
The challenge is the ability to coexist and grow with the world as it changes, never giving in and never giving up.
Summary
During these very difficult times in our world economy, I hope you understand that you have the potential to create your life and be whomever you decide to be. You must realize that your potential as a human being is based not on how the world defines you, but on how you define yourself. Through education, hard work, and purpose, you can start to develop, evolve, and create the opportunities that define and determine your identity and your future.
When you take ownership of this, you celebrate your life every day, along with the rights and freedom to which all humans are entitled.
Enjoy the journey.