What would I look like if I actually accomplished what I set out to accomplish?
I find myself in the midst of a construction project in which others are following my vision. I am mindful of having a vision that is clear enough for others to follow. This requires having a clear picture of the project, drawings even, and having a clear picture of the steps we are going to take to accomplish the vision. That’s my job. But as I thought about writing the vision, a deeper understanding came to me. I was having this thought early in the morning when I walked past the bathroom mirror, and again I thought about vision. What is the vision I have, of me?
What is my vision of myself? I see the texture of my skin and my moles and freckles. I see the locks of hair hanging to a new length. I see the eyes, nose, and brows. But when I look deeper, what is the vision of my soul? What is the vision of who I am? Am I able to see who and what I would be if the layers of life were lifted off of my shoulders where they hang like an ill-fitting coat? What is my vision of my true self?
As I thought about my vision of myself, I wondered whether the same principles apply to my life that I shared so often in my professional work. As a consultant, I have challenged organizational leaders and faith leaders to share their vision clearly and write it down.
Is it important to know the vision, write it down, and make it plain? What would my personal vision look like? What would I tell a client? Your vision is what the world would look like if you actually accomplished what you set out to accomplish. Well, that’s great advice for a nonprofit board, but what about me in this sermon I am giving to myself?
Does that apply?
Well, let me see. What would I look like if I actually accomplished what I set out to accomplish? Oh, that was a trick question, I thought to myself. What am I trying to accomplish in life? At the core, I’m trying to take off the layers of fear and guilt and insecurities I have picked up in life, all to get back to my true self. I am becoming, so that I can simply be me as fully as I possibly can be. What if my vision is of being my true, most authentic self? Is that enough vision? When I look in the mirror, is the soul that I see a loving, kind, gentle, creative — and don’t forget funny — self? Is that what I would be if my life work of healing is done? That feels like a vision. So I guess that part of my business advice applies and seems very relevant to the business of doing life.
Once I have the vision, my instructions would say to write it and make it plain. So note to self: My vision of you is a loving, kind, gentle, creative, and funny person, encapsulated in the body of a brown-skinned woman doing life right now, today.
Isn’t that enough? Vision, plain, written, committed. No. I have time and again advised clients that the vision, even a well written one, is of no use if it is not then used as a tool for guiding EVERYTHING. What are my actions doing to take me closer or push me farther away from that vision. This gets harder when I turn that mirror to myself. What actions and life choices will take me closer to realizing that vision? In my life it has been things like healing and therapy and making positive food choices and choosing how to behave with others I come in contact with. It has been taking time to get to know myself and finding the things within me, in my reflection, that did not align with that vision, and then it took a choice to remove those parts of me. There are some parts of me, like fears and insecurities, that I have had to choose to let go so that love could be expressed in their place.
What is your vision? What is the reflection of your soul that you see in the mirror? Who would you be if your work of becoming was complete? Have you looked into the mirror of your soul recently? Write your vision of you; make it plain! Commit to that vision and take steps every day that bring you closer to that reflection. You’ve got my support. I’m rooting for you, the real you, to shine back in the mirror.
© LaRahna Hughes 2020, Used with Permission
