ENVISION IT

When you think of someone with vision, who comes to mind? Some prominent head of state? The CEO of a Fortune 500 company? Nelson Mandela? Picasso? Mozart? Freud?

I think of Mindy Burbano. She was a dental hygienist living in suburban Illinois. One day she was in the studio audience of The Oprah Winfrey Show. The producers asked if anyone had a special talent they wanted to share. As it turns out, Mindy can crow like a rooster, bark like a dog, and roar like a siren in amazing fashion. They put her on the air. A radio station in Michigan saw it and offered her a job. That turned into a television gig back in Illinois. Now Mindy can be found holding the microphone on red carpets, wearing couture and flashing her dazzling smile in a job she loves. While on assignment in Las Vegas, she met a mortgage broker who happens to be a millionaire. They’re married now and she was recently back on Oprah giving a tour of her new mansion.

As a life coach, I was watching this show wondering why I encourage people to set goals. Maybe it was supposed to be more organic than that. Mindy simply took advantage of a moment. But alas, Oprah asked her if she had ever aspired to be working in television. Mindy said she had envisioned it all. She had written it all down – being discovered in Oprah’s studio audience, a wonderful man with whom to share her life. Oprah was astounded. Me? I was validated.

One of the first things I have my coaching clients do is write a clear, detailed vision of their goals. Most of them love the process because it forces them to feel and dream and stretch and hope. One client wrote this in her vision, “I recently had a number of articles published. It is fabulous to see my name in print and know that people are actually reading it.” That was November, 2003. Just last week, she wrote this in an email to me, “You are not going to believe this. I got myself a writing gig.” Vision accomplished.

Think of the famous Babe Ruth legend. In the 1932 World Series, he called his shot by pointing to the fence and then hitting the next pitch into the stands. Athletes use visioning as a tool all the time because it works.

So envision your niche and then fill it. Envision a room and then create it. Envision a day, a month, a year, a decade. Remember how well Ferris Bueller did this? (Yes, I’m talking about the guy in the movie who skipped school.) He envisioned a day of outsized fun with his best friend and his girlfriend. He rigged all kinds of gadgets to provide a cover. Then he drove a fabulous convertible into the city and crammed an art museum, fine dining, a professional baseball game and a parade into his day. It culminated with Ferris on a float singing “Twist and Shout” as people sang and danced in the streets.

He’s no Nelson Mandela, but he had a heck of a vision nonetheless.