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Envision Clearly to Get Help

scattered-thinkingI was on Skype with a friend and client, Hank, who has very ambitious goals that he is going after. He has given me permission to discuss this chat.  In the beginning of the conversation, he indicated deep frustration about not having people who would benefit from his success helping him out now. He complained, “VERY frustrating - everyone just wants the bread ONCE IT SMELLS YUMMY AND IS OUT OF THE OVEN - lotsa animals and very few red hens, I'm afraid.” Hank loves boats. In fact, he just acquired possession of a multi-million dollar yacht for free, which sort of proves the concept behind his vision. Possession is on the way to ownership, but he will only get to fulfill the vision, and become the outright owner of the yacht by persuading those who can help him with the details to meet with him and work things through. It’s too much for a one-man effort. Thus the frustration of being so close yet so far. But would you want to make much effort in such a situation? The draw is there. He has possession of a multi-million dollar yacht that he could not afford by simply buying it. But his vision is so fluid, and so inarticulate, that the people who can actually help him with this dream are very reluctant to do so. I suggested to Hank that “you just need to devote 5% of your effort to creating communication channels - gangways, ports of call, etc. to make your boat/vision accessible to others, and I don't mean Twitter or Facebook or other social media. I mean gangways to your mind.” What he does with this suggestion is not at all clear to me yet. But there is a general principle here: if you want people to help you, figure out what it is you want so you can tell them what you want them to do. Very few of us are mind readers. If you have a grand vision, it needs to be boiled down to something that we mere mortals can understand. Once you do that, you then will have an opportunity to persuade us. But without knowing what you want, how can we make decisions?


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