In last week’s article, “Angels, Or A Sink?”, I talked about the importance of vision.

Sadly, when most people think, *“vision”*, they think, *“vision statement.”* And vision statements can be a lot like `73 British roadsters… pretty to look at, fun when you’re in it, but pretty much unusable most of the time.

Unusable? Why?

Let’s take a look at a few, real-world vision statements (I’m not making these up), and see:

• “To deliver superior quality products and services for our customers and communities through leadership innovation and partnerships.”
• “To provide leadership to bring people together to create a healthier, more compassionate community.”
• “Dedication to the highest quality of Customer Service delivered with a sense of warmth, friendliness, individual pride, and Company Spirit.”

Could you tell what companies those are from? Could you think of about, say, twenty companies each those statements could fit? Could one of them fit yours?

And here, you see the problem: Most vision statements are filled with words that are like the little quilted patterns on toilet paper — pretty the first time you see them, but then they just fade into blankness, and become invisible to you.

Why would a vision statement degrade like this?

For the same reason you couldn’t tell which companies those examples above belonged to. There’s no intrinsic tie to the company, nothing specific that links those flowery, quilted words to what goes on in the meat-and-bones of the business itself.

In essence, it becomes easier to forget those kinds of visions than it is to remember them. And so they do little to nothing to inform the direction of the business, or guide the actions of the people working in it.

Inform? Guide? You mean, the vision is supposed to serve a purpose?

Okay, a little tongue-in-cheek, but I couldn’t help myself. But it makes the point, yes?

In order for a vision to mean anything, it has to have real-world applicability to your unique business. It has to guide you, help you, and remind you which direction you’re heading in, so you can stay focused in the midst of life’s turmoils.

Otherwise, who knows where your business may end up!

So, how do you get the most mileage out of your vision?

1. Make it matter.

If your idea of a vision is “To provide solid customer service and increase value,” let me ask you something: Does that get you charging out of bed on Monday mornings, excited and eager to tackle the world?

If so, great. Stop reading here. You’ve already arrived.

But if it doesn’t, then ask yourself: What would? What idea (or ideal) gets your home fires burning strong? What would you do, even if there was no one else cheering you on? What do you really care about?

And give yourself time with this one. Yes, start the process now, but know that this isn’t a “shoot off an answer and go back to your email” question.

If you really want to have a meaningful business, one that sustains your passions and get other people excited enough to join you, you’re going to want to take some time to ponder this, away from the hustle and bustle of your office.

2. Make it visual — and don’t stop there.

Vision statements often fall flat because they’re too abstract. They talk about a far-off, golden idea that’s hard to picture.

Instead, you’re going to take a page from the visualization techniques of elite-level athletes and performers from a variety of fields: make it visual.

What would your vision look like if you attained a good measure of it? What would your environment look like? Your customers? Your clothes? (yes, your clothes — and anything else that makes sense to you to imagine — after all, you’re still probably going to be wearing them, right? So why not visualize the new ones you’ll be wearing?)

And in this envisioned future, what do you hear? Smell? Taste? The more senses you can engage, the better.

The reason why we’re bothering with all this is because the more real you can make that vision — not vision statement — in your heart and mind, the more you can take steps to get there, because you know what you need to focus on to get there.

If a part of your vision involves moving from your home office to a physical storefront (or, the other way around), knowing what your ideal space looks like will help steer you towards having it. You’ll know what’s missing, what you already have, and what you need to make space for in yourself to make that future a reality.

And again, you may have some good ideas pop in as you read this, and I recommend you write them down. And, as you give yourself time and space to develop your future vision, allow for expansion of your vision, and for more details and directions to come your way.

And if your vision involves a `73 British roadster, that’s fine — as long as it includes one, and isn’t one in itself.