THE POWER OF VISION

Last Saturday, I had a wonderful privilege to speak with a gathering of senior secondary school students, some fresh school leavers and a few undergraduates. This seminar is an initiative of a High School Principal and her husband to develop the youths in their area. Such an opportunity some of us did not have 10 years ago when we were leaving the Secondary school.
This write-up is an overview of what I discussed with them. Putting in mind that they are quite young, I had to make it as elementary as possible but not in any way compromising the quality of the discussion.

VISION is ordinarily defined as the ability to see. In Nigerian parlance it basically means what you perceive with your two "korokoro" (naked) eyes. Taking the definition a bit higher, and for the purpose of this discussion, we say VISION is the ability to see ahead, imagine what is yet to happen, also as a MENTAL picture of your desired future.

Martin Luther King Jr. in his famous 1963 speech –I have a dream, defined a vision of America where there would be no racial discrimination. Over forty years after, we see that dream coming to pass.

Recently, the Nigerian Government defined a vision of Nigeria being one of the 20 greatest economies in the world by the year 2020. They called it VISION 202020.
Have you seen a building plan before? That is the vision of the desired house.

VISION is different from sight. Sight is what we see with the physical eyes but Vision is what we see with the eye of the MIND. A blind Songwriter was asked what could be worse than not having sight and she said "…having sight but no vision".

Henry Ford of Ford Motors had a vision of an average American family being able to own a car. He started by making one car at a time. Now, Ford Motors has surpassed that dream.
Bill Gates of Microsoft had a dream of every American being able to own a PC. Now, not just Americans can have PCs, the whole world is benefiting from that Vision.

A man can never be greater than the quality of his Vision. The picture in your mind would determine the focus of your efforts and would eventually create who you become.

What a person will become is not totally determined by any of the following:

• Background. M.K.O Abiola, one of the richest men this country ever produced and a notable philanthropist came from a very lowly background. Early in his life he sold firewood to survive but eventually made it, becoming a very successful business man. That was because he did not allow his background to create a limitation in his mind. Enoch Adeboye, General Overseer of one of the largest church organizations in Africa and indeed world over, grew up in a village and never had a shoe for the first 18 years of his life. He became a PhD holder in Applied Mathematics well before the age of forty. Today, he is a great man. You cannot find a connection between his background and who he has become.
  
• Gender. Some people erroneously think a particular gender is more likely to succeed. Even if there are 8 boys and just 2 girls among the 10 most likely to succeed people in your graduating class does not in any way reduce your chance to succeed, if you are a girl. Some of the most effective Government ministers that just finished with the last government in Nigeria were ladies – Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Obiageli Ezekwesili, and Nenadi Usman. As long as a girl can catch a better vision for her future, she can become whatever she wants to be.
  
• Age. Nobody is too young to be great. Even if you are young, now is the time to catch the vision of greatness. You do not have to be old to be great. The Vice-Chancellor of the newly established Osun State University is in his forties. He is a professor. I was reliably informed that he was not made the VC of one of the 1st generation Universities in Nigeria last year because he is young. Please do not be limited by such myopic thinking. Also, the most effective ministers in the last government were the youngest in the cabinet. Catch a vision of greatness early and become great early

What are those essential qualities that make for a good vision?

• Must be personal and unique. You are created differently from every other person, so nobody can correctly define the vision for your life. It has to be your personal creation. It has to be your idea. I know someone who is a Doctor only because her father is a Doctor. That is not a personal and unique vision. Nothing is wrong in wanting to take after the profession of your parent or some other person but you must have your own vision and reason for doing so. You can be something nobody in your environment has ever been. You do not need to be like anybody at all cost.
  
• Must be compatible with your talents, temperament, interests etc. Whatever you want to become must be something you have a natural liking for. If you do not have a natural liking for taking care of people you do not need to catch a vision of becoming a Nurse or a Doctor. If you lack the ability to teach naturally, you may not become the best Teacher. If you are always sad and moody, you may not be able to become a very good actor because an actor needs to be very flexible to take on any role. God did not make us all to do everything equally well. Find what you do very well in and create a vision of being the best at it.
  
• Must be workable. I mean if you look from where you are standing you should be able to see ahead. If you have a dream of becoming a car manufacturer, you do not go to school to study History, Literature and Government. But you rather pay attention to Physics, Technical Drawing and Further Mathematics. Every thing you do today must have a contribution towards that desired future. There is no magic formula for becoming great at anything; you must work hard at it.
  

Having a vision for your life is sounding like a good idea to you already, right? But then, I expect you are asking in your mind, what does having a vision for my future do for me at this early age? What’s in it for me?

• It drives you. It motivates you. Everything you do will point to the target you have created. A wise man said "aim at nothing and you will get it". The choice of subjects you take in school, the kind of school you attend, the kind of exams you take, the kind of opportunities you look for and a lot of other things would be motivated by the vision you have for your future.
  
• It determines your lifestyle. Believe me, not any lifestyle would support your vision in life. The hairstyle on Kanu is fine but you can not wear that and be the best Lawyer in town but you can be a singer or a football star. If you intend to be the state Governor one day, you will not go around fighting and getting into Police trouble every time. You must live like someone who has a vision. Do not be an NFA (No Future Ambition). If you intend to be a Chartered Accountant or an Economist do not live a wasteful lifestyle. You must be disciplined to achieve your dreams. Sport champions do not eat just anything, sleep anyhow or live anyhow. So also is anyone who wants to be a Champion in life.
  
• It determines your friends. Have you heard the saying that "one rich man among ten poor people is a wretched fellow"? Likewise if you are the only young person with a vision for a good future among your friends then you have the wrong friends. Change your friends. Find people who will encourage you to aspire to greatness. Associate with people who are better than you and be encouraged to become better. If your best friend is NFA you will be NFA too. Let the picture of your desired future determine the kind of people you move with. You can not choose your family but you can choose your friends.

The process of working out your vision and dreams would always have challenges. Mind you, I did not say problems but rather, challenges. You must be ready to move on even when it is difficult. That is what it means to have COURAGE. Against all odds, you must put in everything you can afford to realize your visions and dreams. To be courageous, you must have:

• Desire. This means you must really want to achieve your goals. You must want it so badly.
  
• Decision. Your desire must be backed up with the decision and the readiness to give all that may be required of you.
  
• Determination. Your desire and decision must be backed up with determination. I mean even when it’s not working you do not give up. Even when it is still a long way to realize your dreams you still hold on to it. It may not happen shortly, it may take some time, so you have to be determined to hold on at all cost. If you give up before you realize your goals you will have nothing to show for it at the end of the day.

Success is not an event. It is what you become over a period of time. I mean it is a process. Start the process today and you will soon get there.