This past week I had the opportunity to spend a couple of days doing what I like to do best from a professional standpoint, and that is to share my business experience, strength and hope with other business people in hopes of making a positive difference in their lives. On more than one occasion I was asked what I felt was the key to being successful. Although the answers varied to some extent they all circled back to one very important thing. That “thing” being the importance of being in touch with reality.
I once heard a story about a painter who was painting a newly acquired rental house for a friend while the friend was on vacation. When the friend got back from vacation he noticed his new rental did not get painted so he called his painter friend and the painter friend felt bad because he knew he had painted the house and obviously he didn’t do a very good job. So the two of them met at the rental property and to make a long story short, the painter friend had painted the house next to the house he was supposed to paint. The occupants of the incorrectly painted house were quite surprised when they returned from a two week vacation a few days later.
You can have the greatest vision (dream) in the world and attach an even more powerful strategic mission to it, have all of the resources available (people, time, money), but if your ladder is leaning against the wrong house…well I hope you can see the picture I am trying to paint.
Being in touch with and understanding reality is without a doubt thee most important step in creating a successful vision and mission for your business and/or life. Because I am a dreamer and have dozens of ideas running through my head on most days, I’ve had to create self-imposed reality checks over the years. Some of them include:
1.  Doing an inventory on whether or not what I am dreaming about is in line with my business and life priorities.Â
2. Surrounding myself with people who will tell me what I need to hear and not what I want to hear about my ideas.
3.  Continuously doing the things I need to do in order to have the humilty it takes to be willing to listen to, process and digest those things I don’t want to hear.  Humility is built by getting unstuck on self.
4. Continuously building my wisdom base through reading and studying in order to make an informed decision.
5. Try my best to live life on life’s terms, one day at a time.Â
6. Do periodic “control” checks and when I am having to really work hard to “control” a situation…I am probably trying to create some type of false reality.
7. Turn all decisions (not just the big ones) over to God.
8. Create time in my day to get in touch with God in order to receive the right answer knowing it may take a little while.
Being a recovery addict I know what it is like to be out of touch with reality. Being in touch beats being out of touch every day of the week.
Is your ladder leaning in the right direction today?
P.E.A.C.E.
