Daily Portion: Vision vs. Fear

This was a motivational call I did for a fellow Director in our Company and I wrote a blog about it, and wanted to share it with my Daily Portion followers, as this will have a Part 2 entitled Faith vs. Fear. This is not only for business teams, but it can be used for any Leadership type role you are assuming whether it be in church, work or any organization, any team you are building or working with can benefit from what I am sharing here.

Let's talk about vision. What is your vision? Set your vision, write it and believe it. According to Andy Stanley, author of Visioneering, a vision is a clear image of what could be that is nurtured by knowing that's how it should be.  To me, a vision is more than a goal. A vision is what you see your future should be. A goal (long or short term) is a stepping stone or marker that allows you to see that you are heading straight for the vision you have set for yourself.

As Stanley explains in his book, your vision tells you "I could be this....  Maybe I could do this...." And that vision lets you know that that's how it should be! Vision is a preferred future. It's a point in destiny; your preferred future. Your vision requires change because it presents itself in contrast to a present you are living now - as is. A vision becomes reality when we take risks. It requires visionary people who, with heart, soul and passion, can see past what is in front (present) of them and to move past that and act upon the idea, the vision, that has been placed in their heart with much value.

When we talk about vision, that image, that preferred future, that point and place that you know it's where you want to be, that vision does not encompass only one area, it encompasses your entire life, future, and family.  If you set a vision for your business, when you set it and see your preferred future, you see yourself, your family and those around you and those you can help and bless. That's why a vision has to do with passion and value. Because when you can see yourself in a preferred future, better than your present condition, you must know that it will not only affect you, but all those around you, and for the better!

Wikipedia defines fear as an emotion induced by a perceived threat which causes entities to pull far away from it and hide. Merriam Webster Dictionary defines fear to be afraid and to expect worry about something bad or unpleasant. Dictionary.com defines fear as a distressing emotion caused by impending danger, evil, pain - whether the threat is real or imagined. When we talk about fear in our business, the fear that the majority of us face is the "imagined" kind, since I doubt we will have any impending real danger of dying or getting sick because of our vision or setting a goal. The fear that usually comes to deter us from achieving our vision is the imagined fear, the False Evidence Appearing Real type.  It's the fear of failure, not doing my best, what will others think or say. And we come up with so many excuses to not act because of those fears. We "want" to sell, recruit, book parties, coach, train; but we find ourselves having to leave our comfort zone in order to achieve success in those areas. That's where the fear comes in, a distressing emotion of impending pain, the thing is that when it's imagined, it usually tends to be worse than it really is.

As Joyce Meyer puts it, take the focus off of performance - of being judged and criticized by others -that can paralyze us.  Fear stops our own progress. If we make a mistake, we get up and try again. We are all human! We need to just stop focusing on how others will react, how we will perform, if we will be judged, if they say no.... we need to get that fear of failure out of our heads and just tackle those fears in order to conquer that vision, that preferred future!

Andy Stanley gives a few questions we should ask ourselves in order to see what those fears are exactly, to be able to tackle them. If we answer these questions honestly, we should be able to conquer those fears and begin to conquer our vision!
1. What are the things that are currently distracting you from your vision?
2.  What plan of action will you take, what will you do about it?
3.  Within your vision, what is your biggest fear?  What is the worst that could happen?
4.  If that worst happens, what would be the consequences?

If we answer these questions truthfully, then we will realize that we are prepared to handle the worst of the consequences. That should allow us to focus on our vision, knowing that if the worst were to happen, we know how to handle it and move on from it.
We must remember that the majority of times, the fear is in our heads and it isn't as bad as the worst scenario we could ever paint. Know that saying, you are your own worst enemy? Yes, and it's the fear in all of us that becomes that enemy. But when WE know what fear doesn't want us to know, that it's False Evidence Appearing Real, the battle is already won!

Speak your vision and expectations to those around you, to your team members. Let your team members know what their strengths and potential are and how they can use them to better enhance the quality of the team, therefore achieving the expectations that are set before them. Seek out the natural gifting/capability each team member has and let them be made aware of them, praise them for their future successes with those skills and strengths, let them know that they each hold an important place in your team and that they can achieve the expectations 100%.

I put this into work with my own team and I have discovered that when you give your team expectations, they know what they are striving for. I have seen results. I have written and declared my vision for my team for this specific month. And as a team, we all ran with it. Some successes were higher than others, but overall, the team ran with the vision, accepted the declaration and worked hard to achieve the expectation.
Continue to write your vision, set it clear and declare it.
It will come, I promise!

“Write the vision;  make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it. For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end—it will not lie.  If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay..."  - Habakkuk 2:2-3

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?' Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” -Marianne Williamson

It is my prayer that this reflection be a part of your daily portion.

Love & Blessings,
Michelle

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