Only after years of abuse and demand for change did American revolutionaries embrace the idea of starting their own nation. In other words, the vision came second.
The drive to build a business from scratch is the same. The desire to solve a problem or build a better mousetrap comes first. The vision comes later.
So when so many people feel they need to have a vision before they can do their life’s work or “find their passion,” they will likely die searching.
Think of it like going to space—the goal may be clear, and the problems to solve may be in front of us, but the view of the planet from space is unknown until the spacecraft gets into orbit. It is that view that creates the vision for something more profound. As almost every astronaut reports when they return to earth—it was the view, a planet of infinite beauty and without borders—that inspired them to become more idealistic and care more about world peace.
So, put the need to find a vision aside…for now…and find a problem to solve, a suffering to relieve, a person or people to help. And from that passionate drive to do good, the vision will emerge. It is at that point that the vision will serve as a beacon for something even bigger than the original problem we set out to solve.
