The Power of Vision

The following is excerpted from the article The Transformational Power of Vision by Cindy Trimm, published in Charisma magazine, September 2018.  Cindy Trim is a best selling author and former senator.  She is a leader and a sought-after empowerment specialist.  It is excerpted for educational purposes.

Whatever you want to achieve, acquire or become, dream bigger.  You serve a great God who has great plans for your life, and you have His greatness in your DNA. ... The operative words here are "of God," meaning you come from God.  You were  born to be great.  You are wired for greatness.

The opposite of greatness is not just insignificance but also mediocrity.  When you settle for living a life of mediocrity, it is because you either refuse to believe in your greatness, you don't think you deserve better, or you've refused to challenge yourself to reach beyond the threshold of what is comfortable and familiar.  It is about failing to choose the best of what God has for you–but instead choosing to live among the clutter of the common not wanting to stick out for fear of being misjudged, misunderstood or rejected.

An average mindset is destructive because it will never challenge you to expand your horizons, think outside of the box or break out of a "don't rock the boat" state of mind.  The status quo is popular because it requires no discipline, nor does it require you to grow spiritually as you progress and prosper.
Vision brings you into a higher spiritual plan of growth and development.  Spiritual growth will lead you into realms above and beyond what your natural mind can imagine.  Vision calls you higher.  Your ascension into higher realms of power, influence and affluence requires you to pull away from vision assassins who don't believe in your greatness.  It requires you to operate in the realm of courage where you embrace everything God wants you to be.

If life were a game, it would require you to get off the sidelines and on to center court.  It would required you to grab the ball and run with it.  So get some skin in the game.

Your vision will take you on your unique path.  That path may lead you beyond the status quo and the conventions of culture that define the realities of life within your community or country.  Vision is the ultimate adventure that will help you to discover the person you were always meant to be, and you will also discover your true worth in the process.

Pursuing your vision will at times take you on risky excursions as you navigate the currents of change....All risk is not created equal.  But staying where you are can ultimately be more risky than reaching for your dreams.  You risk your entire future for a false sense of safety, comfort and security.

When the tension builds up inside of you to explore doing something more, it's usually God tabbing you on the shoulder to let you know it's time to move on.

Moving on means you must risk your comfort and convenience, even your support and understanding, in order to pursue your passion, realize your vision and fulfill your dreams....What you are willing to risk is based on what you want and what you value.  John F. Kennedy said, "there are risks and costs to a program of action.  But they are far less than the long-range risks and costs of comfortable inaction."

Success and progress come from taking calculated risks.  The beautiful thing about taking calculated risks is that you will either achieve your goals or learn something new in the process.  Either way, you win.

Risk is inextricably connected to success.  Those who are unwilling to make risks are bound not to succeed; at the same time, in taking risks, one must also accept full responsibility for the outcomes–both successes and the failures.

When you leave the ordinary en route to the extraordinary, don't use the rearview mirror in an attempt to find your way [forward].  Forget those things which are behind, reach forward to the things up ahead and press toward the goal of the high calling of God.

You have a bright future ahead of you.  Don't be like the masses who have lost their hope because they feel there is nothing they can do to escape their current circumstances.  You don't have to live among those who have lost hope.

You cannot live an extraordinary life by remaining ordinary.  It takes faith, courage and grit to treat cultural molds, national mores, social and political limitations and family expectations.

Reach for the stars.  Shoot for the moot.  Elevate your life by daring to go higher.  Living in the realm of possibility is where great achievers inhale the sweet air of success.  Most people never break free from the status quo because they are unwilling to risk going out on a limb.  But the end of the branch is where the sweetest fruit lies.  Learn to become the kind of visionary who raises the bar and levels up the people around you.  Dare to join the ranks of those who push humanity forward.
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For more study...In her new book, Hello Tomorrow, Cindy Trim helps readers discover how to build a bridge to their future, put themselves where they see themselves, write their own history and dare to do something great.