This fall I started three mastermind groups. And in all three, the same theme has gradually emerged: what to do when you suddenly don’t feel the same drive you were used to in business. Long-term goals are missing, the direction has gone somewhere, and even the motivation to work every day is not what it used to be. What’s more, this condition doesn’t last for weeks, but for months. A few years ago, I experienced it too. And I thin it is because our visions have been fulfilled.
By vision we usually mean some verbal expression of our idea of what our life and our business will look like in the not too distant future. When we try to put it together (for marketing plan purposes, for example), we usually think 3-5 years ahead. This is the time frame we can easily see. But we often have a longer time frame in mind – 10 or even 20 years.
Vision is not a horizon
A horizon is an imaginary line that recedes as we approach it. The horizon, therefore, can never be reached. But this is not true of vision. It is by its very nature destined to be fulfilled. So we actually plan in it what we want to live a few years from now. And it naturally happens.
Sometimes we abandon our visions because they don’t suit us. Because somewhere along the way we find that we’re headed somewhere we don’t really want to go. But most of the time we actively correct course and energetically head somewhere else. If you’re currently lacking a vision, it’s far more likely that you’ve simply fulfilled it.
It’s also related to age
When you’re in your 30s, you’re dealing with how to start a business, how to establish yourself in the market, how to gain experience and references, how to get a mortgage, how to combine business and motherhood, or how to provide enough financial security for your family.
But as your age starts to approach or even exceed 50, you are in a very different situation. You already know who you are, and your business and your mind are aligned. You are slowly entering the archetype of the Wise Old Woman or Wise Old Man.
And completely different themes come to the fore. For example:
- how to work less and enjoy your time more,
- what to leave behind as a legacy (perhaps in the form of a book or your own method),
- how to build up a sufficient reserve for retirement,
- how to maintain or even improve your health and fitness,
- how to become a leader or a legend in your field,
- how to pass on the experience.
“Remember the days when you prayed for the things you now have.” The anonymous quote, which you may also have on a mug, on your fridge, or on a board at home, describes well how vision works. Better is easy to get used to. And change is often so subtle that we don’t even notice it.
It’s also because in vision we usually imagine our life as a whole, so it’s easy to miss the details. For example, the house is already finished, your children are happily studying high school or college, your neighborhood has long perceived you as an expert in your field, and you have to work far fewer hours for the same salary than you did a few years ago.
What do we need a vision for?
Simply to feel good about life. It gives us a future we can relate to. It represents a goal state that we wholeheartedly want to achieve. And just the fact that we have it fills us with peace and joy.
What makes it all the worse is when we suddenly notice that what we were used to leaning on is suddenly not there. What we wished for, we are already living. So suddenly there is nothing to dream about, nothing to strive for, nothing to reach for.
“No wind is favorable to a sailor who does not know where to sail.” Seneca
How to find a new vision
Describing the loss of vision may remind you of a midlife crisis. It comes at a similar age and can also be related. But while the best prescription for a midlife crisis is to survive until it passes, lacking vision can be met in some way.
Don’t rush yourself
I often see in my clients a desire to rush out of the strange timelessness that loss of vision brings, to get somewhere fast. Find a new vision and new goals and start working on them as quickly as possible. Honestly – I’ve had the same experience. But it wasn’t working at all.
The emptiness that stares back at us from somewhere deep within our souls is not something that can be crossed quickly. You have to look into it and stay in it for a while. Only by pausing can we take something positive from it to continue later.
So take your time. Don’t rush, and certainly don’t put pressure on yourself. When you feel the urge to take it all in, as you have been used to, take a breath, exhale. Because sometimes a new vision comes all by itself. But if you rush out full of nervousness, you can easily miss it.
Celebrate what went well
You are probably missing the vision because you fulfilled it. It means you have everything you once dreamed of. And that’s something to celebrate, isn’t it?
Think of all the things you’ve accomplished so far. How much better, more experienced and wiser you are. How far you’ve come, what you’ve accomplished, and what you’ve learned along the way. Thank yourself and let your heart fill with gratitude. You can also pat yourself on the back, wink at yourself in the mirror, or give yourself a toast. Or reward yourself with a nice gift. You’re smart and successful, so you deserve it.
Invite a new vision
“Vision” and “visualize” have the same root word. It’s no coincidence. A new vision will most easily arrive with your eyes closed. Try to take a moment each day to dream. Create a quiet space inside yourself and ask your new vision to materialize into it.
For the first few days, nothing will probably happen at all. But in a matter of weeks, you should start to see little hints. Inviting you to try new activities. Memories of something you longed for long ago, or particularly vivid dreams. Pay attention to them.
May you find a direction for yourself that is both fulfilling and fun.
Photo by Artem Kovalev on Unsplash
