why do you get out of the bed in the morning?

I have often been a cheerleader for creating a personal vision, a lofty pie in the sky goal to which one could aspire to, if not always reach. A vision is meant to give direction to human energy. It’s like you can wake up in the morning and know that the things you do that day in some way, shape, or form contribute to moving you toward your vision.

The logic goes that if you have a clear vision, you can streamline your life. When deciding to do something, you can take a slight pause and ask yourself: ‘does this move me toward my vision or does it move me away from my vision?’ If it moves you away from your vision, then you have to ask yourself an additional question: ‘should I be doing this if it takes me further away from vision?’

Creating a compelling vision is the key. You want something that is going to get you out of bed in the morning fired up and ready to face the adventures of the day ahead. Otherwise, what is the point?

I like the words of Chief High Eagle of the Sioux people:

“In life, many thoughts are born in the course of a moment, an hour, a day. Some are dreams, some visions. Often, we are unable to distinguish between them. To some, they are the same; however, not all dreams are visions. Much energy is lost in fanciful dreams that never bear fruit. But visions are messages from the Great Spirit, each for a different purpose in life. Consequently, one person’s vision may not be that of another. To have a vision, one must be prepared to receive it, and when it comes, to accept it. Thus when these inner urges become reality, only then can visions be fulfilled. The spiritual side of life knows everyone’s heart and who to trust. How could a vision ever be given to someone to harbor if that person could not be trusted to carry it out. The message is simple: commitment precedes vision.”

And as Carl Jung said: “Your vision will become clear only when you look into your heart. Who looks outside, dreams. Who looks inside, awakens.”

My personal vision has always been to master the art of living as echoed in this passage I borrowed from the Zen Text:

“The person who is master in the art of living makes little distinction between their work and their play, their labor and their leisure, their mind and their body, their education and their recreation, their love and their religion. They hardly know which is which. They simply pursue their vision of excellence and grace in whatever they do, leaving others to decide whether they are working or playing. To them, they are always doing both.”

Imagine that, to be so in love with life, so in love with what you are doing, who you are with that nobody can tell the difference between your work and your play, your love and your religion, your education and recreation…

That is what I aspire to. That is my vision.

Chief High Eagle hones the final point I want to make: “The mere possession of a vision is not the same as living it, nor can we encourage others with it if we do not, ourselves, understand and follow its truths. To be blessed with visions is not enough…we must live them!”