Do you see what I see?

The past couple of days, the topic of my life has been vision. What do I see, and what am I failing to see? I've been so caught up in the moments that my vision went from 120 degrees to just 5 degrees. In doing so, I've forgotten about the bigger picture and only focused on some very negative aspects which have lead me to endure major amounts of stress!

On a brighter note, however, I think I'm back to about a 80 degree field of vision =)

In any case, I think vision is important on many different aspects. For one, vision is direction. People with a game plan generally do more in life because they know where they want to go. They have a list of things to do and they execute on it. They move forward along with the rest of the world, often times at a faster rate [since our society has been reduced to laziness and being stagnant!]

For another, vision is a skill. Take, for instance, Magic Johnson. He's probably one of the greatest [if not the greatest] passers in the NBA. His court vision was phenomenal and had eyes all over the place, to the extent that he found people that seemed to have disappeared off the basketball court. It was almost like he could feel the presence of his teammates across the floor from end to end. This vision made him one of the most exciting players in the NBA, not because of dunks, but because of his passes!

This latter concept of vision, as a skill, is something I feel is what makes the difference between being above average and being great. Anyone, given enough effort, can be good, but all the effort in the world cannot help you on the path of greatness. This is because vision, in this context, is used almost interchangeably with insight. You start to see a bigger picture that makes sense, and it gives you freedom to decide accordingly what you want to do next.

That's POWER, with a capital P!

Now some of you might be thinking "I'm just not smart enough for it. I don't know much about it. How do you acquire this type of vision?"

Granted, not everyone is good at it, but I believe that it's a skill that's learned. Vision is an application of knowledge, experience and your own mental capacities. I guess, to a certain extent, it has a little to do with your natural processing power. Some people just have a better knack for putting two and two together. However, that knack does you little if you don't have the knowledge to apply that talent.

This is why people say knowledge is power. The more you know, the more options you will have, and with enough experience and some mental know-how, you'll acquire a vision that'll help you see what most others don't see. This is where the great ones find opportunities and take off with it, and they do this over and over to stay ahead of the game.

Across all markets, all industries, all aspects of life, your vision, both your plans and insight, will take you to places far beyond what you've imagined, but only if you make the most of it. Read, do, reflect, experience, learn, laugh, love... and by the end of it, you'll look back and realize you've lived quite a good life.

That's the future I envision for myself... do you?