It’s fall and that means football. Well, sort of, because it’s 2020 and there’s a pandemic, meaning American football looks a lot different this year. First, there wasn’t going to be any football games, to the anger, sadness, and chagrin of many of my friends and family (and much of the nation). Next, there would be football, it just would look different - safety protocols, empty or nearly empty stadiums, etc. One of the things that there wouldn’t be is a practice season. The lack of a pre-season may not seem like a great loss, and it reminds me of all the “small” losses and sacrifices that we are each currently experiencing. You may be wondering, what a missed pre-season has to do with Vision?
Vision is the ability to think about or plan for the future with imagination and wisdom. Crafting a vision means you are deciding what you want to create and what legacy you want to leave. Notably, without a pre-season, (in football or otherwise in life), our picture of the future is less clear, because we don’t have as much data or chances to experiment and adapt.
The above picture of the two ladies “leading” my horse, Al, is an example of a shared vision resulting in reaching a successful goal. Their challenge was to get Al to follow them along a pre-designed path without touching him. You can see how engaged he is, eagerly responding to their invitation to walk through the orange cones. Their teamwork is evidenced by their partnership, each looking in a different direction, purposefully paying attention to both the goal and their horse partner. They’ve created a beautiful dance, energetically moving in sync, one definition of a shared vision. Horses teach us that pre-seasons are luxuries, gifts that if we’re fortunate enough to experience, can create advantages. Our equine partners remind us that while they literally live in the present moment, repetitive action (or a pre-season) is helpful in achieving the vision of the future you desire.
The story and details behind how they were able to create this combined forward movement is where much of the learning lies. Whose idea was this walking backwards thing? What did their communication look like? Did they struggle? You don’t know by this picture how many tries they had, or how many failures (opportunities to learn) they experienced.
Thankfully, for those who love football, or those who love someone who loves football (like me), we do have a 2020 football season of sorts.The realities of Covid-19 and all the chaos in the world around us, remind us of the value of creating a game-plan for when circumstances do allow for a pre-season. Staying present in the moment is a simple practice, helping us appreciate what is available to us, rather than focusing on what was lost.
ADDITIONAL IDEAS:
There are many effective approaches to creating a vision. If you’re crafting an organizational vision, one of my favorites is The Lemming Dilemma: Living with Purpose, Leading with Vision by David Hutchens.
For a personal vision, vision boards and drawings are a fun way to capture images of the future you desire. You may find walking meditation, especially in nature, and then journaling after to record what surfaced to be helpful. Some prefer a daily practice of sitting quietly for 5-10 minutes, eyes closed, seeing, hearing and feeling (the senses are key) yourself in the vision you’re creating. The vision doesn’t have to be complete. Start with what you know and let it develop over time.
NEXT WEEK:
