Visionary Thinking
Our evolution as human beings is largely a product of visionary thinking—
of people imagining a state of things worth going for, and then going for it.
The imagination imbedded in visionary thinking is a way of ‘seeing’ into life. A kind of penetrating the world of ‘what is’ with a gaze of ‘what could be.’ The stronger and clearer the gaze, the more powerful are the forces—opportunities, collaborators, resources—that come to our aid.
While visionary thinking can be a one-off exercise, and often is, it is most powerful as a habit of the mind—repeatedly imagining what we want to create—from the macro to the micro. From the kind of world we want to live in to a fabulous vegetable garden this summer. From an ideal organizational culture to an effective next meeting. From a great marriage to a special weekend.
To make visionary thinking a powerful habit of mind (whether on the macro or micro levels), there are four questions that I have found to be essential to the thought process:
What does an ideal state or experience look and feel like?
Visionary thinking is painting a picture for ourselves of an ideal state or experience. It can be through words, or perhaps images—in our minds and/or on paper. It’s important to give this picture clear definition. Powerful visions are not vague. They capture detail that we can see and feel. Which doesn’t mean every detail of our visions will manifest. But clearly defining what we want to create sharpens our focus, and our ability to see opportunities and do the right things to bring our visions about.
Am I willing to look beyond what I think is realistic?
Visionary thinking requires our willingness to see beyond the ‘tried and true’ to the possible. German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer said, “Every man takes the limits of his own field of vision for the limits of the world.” If we believe that (almost) anything is possible, our field of vision will be quite wide, and we will allow ourselves to entertain possibilities, and thus visions, that we might not otherwise entertain. If we’re not willing and able to see beyond the realistic to the possible, we unnecessarily limit ourselves.
What is worth giving my life energy to?
For our visions to inspire commitment and action, they must speak to our deepest motivations. They must speak to what makes our lives meaningful. Visionary thinking—even on the micro level—contains some element of risk because true visions inherently stretch us. Inherent in going after an ideal is the possibility of failure. And we’re more likely to take that risk if there is something meaningful at stake. Something worth going for, and giving our life energy to.
Who do I need to be?
Our visions are the what of creation, usually immediately followed by questions of how. What is often missed is a question of who we need to be. What kind of person do I need to be to have the marriage I imagine? What kind of leader do I need to be to build the culture I believe is possible? This question of being runs below the surface of the question of doing. Reflecting on being may reveal that we need to be attentive, or organized, or patient, or empowering. Imagining qualities of being needed to bring a vision into reality plants seeds of creative and effective action.
While it might go without saying, note that these four questions apply as much to collective visioning and shared visions as they do to individual thinking. Shared visionary thinking builds connection, collaboration, and commitment. Great things rarely happen by accident, but almost always have some form of shared vision behind them.
Questions to ponder, and if you have a journaling practice, to write about…
In what area of my life or work am I currently limiting myself by being too “realistic?” What new possibilities am I willing to entertain in this area?
What would my ideal _________ look like? (Fill in the blank, and then answer the question.) What aspect of myself do I need to grow in order to fulfill that vision?
More in the Power Pathways Series…
Visionary Thinking is the last in a series of posts exploring a compass-like wheel of twelve “power pathways”—avenues for expressing our power to be the creators and authors of our lives.
Read the whole series here →
Here’s the full wheel, connected conceptually and practically to radical responsibility and the four cardinal disciplines of conscious leadership – inspiration, integrity, courage, and clarity.
