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What now seems like eons ago, I was on a family holiday in Los Angeles in June 2019 at the Malibu Pier, and like any other tourists, we wandered down the pier and ended up at the store, Malibu Beach Supply Co. It was my birthday and my wife bought me a pair of reading spectacles, Miklos, by CADDIS.
What attracted me to the spectacles were the words engraved on it, “Port” and “Starboard”. To be frank, my knowledge of nautical terms was limited, and a quick google search made me slightly aware. For those of you like me, this is a simple illustration.
But what struck me upon learning this, was the connection between sight (vision) and the nautical terms, both of which share the same colors.
When you visit the optometrist to have your eyes tested, you are often asked to look at something similar to the below, known as the Snellen screen. The premise behind this test is those green wavelengths of light focus in front of the retina while the red wavelengths focus behind the retina.
When looking at the red/green (duo-chrome, or bi-chromatic) chart, the patient is asked to decide which side is clearer or sharper. If the response is green, then the Rx needs additional plus (+) power. If the response is red, then additional minus (-) power is needed.
"Trusting the vision without forcing the way is a lesson worth learning in every port."
Colleen Mariotti
For me, this was a reminder for an important life lesson i.e. what is your personal vision? Do you have a personal vision? How committed are you to living it out?
A clear vision provides clarity like a map to help chart your way and choices you make to achieve that vision.
These choices will shape and affect your:
personal development;
values;
goals;
development of your skill and experiences;
spiritual and physical well-being;
family and the choice of friends that surround you
But in the end, it should help you maintain or even achieve some balance in your life.
“Balance is not something you find, it’s something you create.”
Jana Kingsford
Your vision is not a one-size-fits-all, but it is uniquely fashioned to fit you. A clear vision enables you to keep your eyes fixed on your desired objective, and it allows you to look not just at the FORWARD but it allows you to adjust your vision either to Port or Starboard as you navigate your life when you hit challenges or obstacles along the way.
Studies consistently show that this one factor, personal vision, is more important in both success and satisfaction than any other factors – ranking it more important than intelligence, socio-economic background, or education.
This simple but powerful chart here by The Highlands Company illustrates that with a personal vision, you will be able to work within something they call the balance cycle rather than in a stress cycle.
In the balance cycle, you will be more satisfied, more productive, and experience more meaning and enjoyment. In comparison, without a personal vision, you could end up in the stress cycle where you experience more burnout and often feel as though your efforts are wasted and lack meaning.
These days with the pandemic showing no signs of slowing down, we are surrounded by family, friends, peers, colleagues, maybe even ourselves, who are burnt out, stressed, and displaced. We need to stay focused and stay the course or re-evaluate and make the decision to change as necessary.
“Life is just a blast
Its Movin really fast
You Better stay on top
Or life will kick you in the xxx”
Limp Bizkit
If you need to start somewhere, this great resource by Trudi Griffin, who co-authored with WikiHow on How to Change your life around is a good start.
Once you start on your plan, you need to make sure, you bound all aspects of your life to this plan so that you know that you are developing in whole, not just parts. This means that you do not look only at your career but your family, your spiritual life if you have one and even your friends.
Now that we are in a period of uncertainty, we should strive to change, because as we have been told so many times, getting back to pre-Covid19 normal is just not going to happen. The businesses we are in and are a part of, have also changed and will continue to change; this only means that we are expected to change too.
So, now, is the perfect time to get our own houses in order to ensure that our own rudder has a clear direction that we can steer it to. I’d encourage you, whether you have been affected or not, to relook at your personal/business situation and make the change.
“I can’t change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.”
Jimmy Dean
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Special thanks to my Editor: Sylvia Cheo
Copyright@ The Brilliant Foundation
Enquiries: Editor@thebrilliantfoundation.com