“You are not here merely to make a living. You are here in order to enable the world to live more amply, with greater vision, with a finer spirit of hope and achievement. You are here to enrich the world, and you impoverish yourself if you forget the errand.”—Woodrow Wilson
I have long been drawn by Proverbs 29:18 (“Where this is no vision, the people perish”, KJV). Now, theologically, this is often misapplied, but, personally, I find the Proverbs often have a different meaning as my needs require. So, let’s just let it mean personal vision for today.
Without a personal vision, it is easy to wander through through life aimlessly. It is like setting off on a journey with no map or compass (or GPS, in the new millennium). Moreover, it is like not even having a planned destination. In such circumstances, one is not likely to get anywhere—or at least have no sense that they have arrived where they are going.
In life, we need a sense of Purpose. (I use a capitalized “Purpose” to differentiate from the lesser “purposes” that are not necessarily our Spiritual place in the Universe.) Purpose gives us the deeper meaning to our lives and the greater sense of fulfillment. Unfortunately, it may take a lifetime to actually find our “Purpose”.
Vision is our GPS. It is our sense of compelling direction that can be perceived only by taking pause on a regular basis and considering our path.
Vision requires a level of Spiritual “well-centeredness”—or at least the pursuit thereof. It requires, first, that we recognize that the Universe is bigger than self. It requires that we see that we are connected at some level beyond time and chance. It requires that we are astutely aware that we impact others and are, in turn, impacted by others.
Vision requires a desire to have an impact on others—to make an impression on the world. It requires a desire to have some sort of “legacy.”
Where there is no vision, one perishes into insignificance. No one is meant to be insignificant. We are meant to have an (extra)ordinary affect of the lives we touch.
It is true that most of us will never be world renowned. Nevertheless, we touch lives. Probably much more than we will ever know.
So, what is our vision of our Purpose. Do we see the path of influence we have left in our wake? More importantly, do we see the influence we can have going into the future?
Seize the opportunity to make a difference. Carpe momento!
“Your vision will become clear only when you can look into your own heart. Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes.”—Carl Jung