We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill.

-Jesus Christ

 

The first thing is to “Know it”.

The second thing is to “Own it”

T

oday as we finalize this short series, we need to be aware that the first two can be done in utter obscurity. In other words, the world had no idea what Mahatma Gandhi was up to when he conceived the desire to liberate his people from Colonialism. He was totally obscure. Even Nelson Mandela when he was invited to join ANC, that moment was of total obscurity to him.

What does that tell us? It tells us that the validity of our dreams, visions, desires and purpose in life is not proportional to how many people in the world know about them! It tells us that you and I are the most important engines of that vision. It tells us that if we do not get the vision going, it will never reach this last and final phase that we are discussing today.

So do not ever be discouraged if today is the first day of you knowing your vision and you are way past thirty years of age. Do not abort it thinking that you are late, that the vision should have been prominent by now. Stick with it. In fact, chances are that you might be in a better position to make it happen because of the urgency with which you will pursue it, now that you are thinking you are closer to the grave than when you started.

Thirdly, Show It

The final thing that has to be done with the vision is to “Show it”. In the Bible, one powerful instruction is made about the vision:

Write the vision, and make it plain on the tablets, that he who reads it may run.

By now, the vision is already written I am sure. Even though it might not have been, now is the time to engrave it, but I am getting ahead of myself. The words underlined above, “Make it plain” are what stand out for me.

Marketing

To make it plain is to emphasize with the ostensive purpose that it would be known far and wide. People think marketing started the other day, but no, this scripture talks about it emphatically.

Did you know that writing a book is as easy as 1,2,3 but moving it to best seller status requires me to “Make it plain”. In other words, the very purpose of your vision is to serve humanity. Now, people need to know your vision so that you can both go to them and they can come to you for service.

Again, the Bible is so emphatic on this end:

But how can people call for help if they don’t know who to trust? And how can they know who to trust if they haven’t heard of the One who can be trusted? And how can they hear if nobody tells them?

 

It is so straight forward you would think it is obvious, but it actually is not. This, by the way is the most forgotten part of Jesus’ Ministry. Neighbours have never heard the “Good News” from their neighbours, yet it is that part which completes the vision.

What do you Do?

Your vision will only take shape to the degree that you “Show It” to the world.

• The world needs to know that you are the one who loves kids.
• The world needs to know that you are the one who is passionate about leadership
• The world needs to know that you are the one who is obsessed with Purpose
• The world needs to know that you are the one that cares so much about Finances
• The world needs to know that you are the one that cries over the liberation of women and young girls
• The world needs to know that you are the one who cannot settle until people have received the Gospel

And this list is endless.

It is OK to be passionate…but it is complete to be known for your passion.

Why Make it Plain?

Let’s review that scripture for a minute once again:

Write the vision, and make it plain on the tablets, that he who reads it may run.

 

Look at the latter part of the scripture: “That he who reads it may run”. What does that tell you? It tells you:

• That the vision is not yours alone.
• That the vision has to be seen by other people
• That the vision cannot be done by you alone
• That there are people waiting for you to make it plain in order to run with it. Let me expound more about this point. Dr. Robert H. Schuller made himself accountable to the world when he announced one day that he would build the Crystal Cathedral in Carlifonia. Nobody since Adam had ever thought about that. The estimated cost at that time was about 25 Million Dollars! People laughed at him and called him a fool, but in the end, he built it. Do you care to know what he said about the whole experience? He said:

“I think when you have big dreams, you attract other big dreamers”

I have italized the word “Attract” on purpose. Pollination is made possible because the flower is bright and attractive to the bee. You cannot attract people to your vision if it is hidden. You ought to “Make it plain on the tablets”, so that people will read it and run with it.

Now, I am not promising heaven here. I am not saying that all the visions that you have will always attract “runners with it”. No. This is where leadership kicks in. At times as a leader, you will have to be the loneliest person on earth as you own and pursue the vision. Let not that part make you discouraged and hide the vision. Jesus Christ said:

Here’s another way to put it: You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill.

But how? Someone might be asking.

1. Engrave it on Tablets

This is as plain as it gets. My mentor Dr. Mick Murdock says, and I paraphrase:

Hanging on your wall pictures of where you are going is much more beneficial and powerful than hanging images of where you have come from

I couldn’t agree more. If you came to my house, you would see images of where I am going. You would also see boldly engraved in a banner my vision, mission and purpose statements. I am doing that so that people can read and run with it. The very first things that my kids would internalize on the wall would be my purpose for existence, my vision for service and my mission for living. Somehow, this makes me accountable to the world. You have no idea how this accountability business is extremely important when it comes to having a personal vision.

2. Vision Board

A vision board is simply a collection of images for your vision and goals. If you want to sing at the Madison Square garden for example, get its photo and hang it on your vision board. If your vision speaks about building Universities like mine does, get a photo of a University and hang it on a wall. If your vision speaks about satellite, get an appropriate image and hang it too. I have gone ahead and collected this vision board into a PowerPoint slide that I look at every morning, reminding myself of where I am going. The Vision Board can be public or private, but it announces to whoever sees it that you are committed to achieving it. You have nothing to lose.

3. Social Media

I cannot begin to tell you how powerful a tool social media is. We have myriads of social media channels that are developed each year. The main are Facebook, LinkedIn, Snapchat, Instagram and Twitter. These are perfect avenues to “show the world” all about your vision. People need Social Media strategies for their vision. If you are to share about your vision daily and consistently, it is only a matter of time before the world knows that you are not only passionate about that area, but you also are the “go to person” in it. The trick is to make your brand as consistent as possible with each social media channel. Statistics abound on how the impact of social media is on marketing….and I have already talked about marketing. The question is: how much do you pay for marketing on social media? You can run an effective social media channel at minimal budget. Social media has opened the marketing space to everyone. The trick is that you can target a specific audience by channeling your profile and social media messages appropriately.

4. Introductions:

Each day or at least each week, we have the chance to introduce ourselves to others. For the most part, people say their names and sit down. What a total let down to your vision! [ictt-tweet-inline]You should never lose the opportunity of saying your name and your vision in the same breathe.[/ictt-tweet-inline] Can you consider how fresh that thought is? Can you imagine standing up and sharing your vision and your name with any group of people in less than 30 seconds? It is a massive impact on your personality. You never know who would see the vision and run with it.

Friends, I believe we can live these three principles of our vision on a daily basis: Know it, Own it, and Show it. If we can all do these things consistently, watch how we connect as a people and move the world steps forward!