The Cost of Vision....

It is hard to imagine that just thinking something can be expensive. That your time that you put forth and the effort that it takes to get even on the road to your vision isn't just "easy peasy". It should be right? After all it is YOUR vision. You are the one who had the dream. You are the one that laid it all out for the investors or for the person in charge. You were the one who started the creating and the forming. You... so why the cost factor? Well... unfortunately in business and in life everything has a cost associated to it. And vision happens to be the most expensive.

Vision requires courage. Courage requires strength of body and mind. Strength requires endurance and endurance discipline. Discipline requires that you let go of things that you cannot keep to achieve your goals. These things can be toys... like boats, cars, TV sets. They can be activities you enjoy liking watching reality TV (*BLECH*). They can be clubs or groups or a position you hold in your child's soccer booster team. The most expensive part of achieving your vision is the people that you have to cut loose. Sometimes this cut is very easy. It is a friend that drains you emotionally or financially. Sometimes it is a deeper cut though... it is someone that you dearly love, but they do not support your vision. This person can be a silent protester or they can be very vocal about your upcoming demise. You will find these people peppered all throughout your life, and if you wish to see success, you will need to cut them loose... no matter how painful. They are simply too expensive to keep on.

Be careful of how and why you are letting someone go from your life though. It is very important to analyze all the factors in your road to success and see how they are fitting in together. You do not want to let someone go in your life simply because they do not agree with your every whim and fancy. Maybe they are a voice of reason. You can look past some of their fluff and gather the seeds of knowledge. Have a frank conversation with this person and let them know how their words and actions are affecting your ability to move forward in your vision. Also, there are some people that are simply not expendable. They are your spouse or a child or a close family member. In these cases the vision is too expensive and the relationship is more precious. So be a frugal spender and saver. The true cost of your vision is what you create in the budget.

Vision is focused when it is successful. Unfocused vision is like wearing distance glasses when you need to read close up. You can move the paper as far away from your nose as you want and you STILL won't see those tiny tiny words! You can be looking to the future and FORGET your glasses. If you have vision as bad as I do you will have to rely on the kindness of others to get you through! Plan for your long term vision and your short term as well. What do you need? How  much energy will you need to spend and where will this energy come from? You must sacrifice something to get something from your sacrifice. You cannot just receive something without there first being something given. This is true in all the aspects of our lives, especially in our relationship with Christ. If there had not been a sacrifice, if God had not had a long term vision, if Jesus wasn't willing to see the dream, then we would have all been lost forever. Luckily for all of mankind, this is not the case. Back to YOUR vision..... You need to understand the cost of your vision. You must investigate the need for your dream. You will have to set up a budget and then execute the cuts. Be careful. Be understanding. Be willing to hear CONSTRUCTIVE criticism. Don't take to heart the things that hurt, unless the hurt moves you closer to your goals. Know going in if you can afford the cost of your vision.