When it comes to survival, we are visual animals, and our vision helps us to succeed physically. As a species, our eyesight is our most developed sense.

We have stereoscopic sight that can detect a wide variety of colours and shading. This, in turn, lets us see easily see patterns and movement.

These combined abilities allowed us to avoid becoming dinner while trying to get dinner for ourselves. Our vision helped us to succeed physically, and it still does today.

When it comes to business success, vision is no less critical to survival. However, instead of our sense of sight, this vision involves our sense of imagination and possibility.

A Vision Of Successful Outcomes

Vision, in the business sense, is the ability to visualize successful outcomes. It is the ability to imagine positive results. It is, at its heart, the ability to lucidly dream of where you want to go with your business.

Don’t be afraid to dream. As Henry Ford once said, if you think you can do something or if you think you can’t do something, you’re right.

So, spend a few minutes each day visualizing where exactly you plan on going, and you plan on getting there. This is not daydreaming, far from it.

“You need to have a vision. To have the ability to see the invisible. If you can see the invisible, then you can achieve the impossible.” – David Brett-Williams

This is focused development, scheduling and organization. Plan your day by seeing the optimum outcomes.

This is the same process that athletes use to hone their performance. When you imagine yourself succeeding, you are more likely to actually succeed.

Remember, if you don’t take the time to build your dreams, someone will hire you to take the time to build theirs.

Focus And Endurance For Your Career

In any activity or endeavour, it is essential to build endurance. Endurance is defined as the ability to focus on the task at hand and bring it successfully to conclusion.

Some call it courage, and others call it strength or stamina. No matter what you call it though, endurance is the ability to persevere and get the job done, no matter what.

Usually, when we speak of endurance, we’re referring to physical activity. Endurance is as important in the business world as it is anywhere else.

“Just because a man lacks the use of his eyes doesn’t mean he lacks vision.” – Stevie Wonder

In business circles, endurance usually takes the form of focus. Instead of physical prowess, it becomes the ability to concentrate successfully on a given task.

Focus is a critical skill set for any business owner, especially in today’s fast-paced world where success often means keeping several equally important balls in the air at one time.

The Key To Successful Focus

So, how do you focus on multitasking? A situation where, by its very definition, several things are happening at once. Well, the key to successful focus is attention.

When several things are happening simultaneously, you need to concentrate on only one thing at a time. This doesn’t mean that you bring one task to full completion before you start on another.

“Teamwork makes the dream work, but a vision becomes a nightmare when the leader has a big dream and a bad team.” – John C. Maxwell

Instead, you spend just enough time on a given task to take it to the next stage of development, and then you turn your attention to another task. In some sense, it’s a little like being a mother duck with ducklings.

You give your attention to the duckling that is farthest out of line, nudging it forward to where it should be before you turn your attention to the next little duck.

Each duckling gets a measure of your focus, but none gets your full attention all the time. In this way, each task gets moved along in turn, and all are successfully completed in time.

Professional Success Requires Persistence

Ok, let’s talk about persistence. For starters, how many old sayings, aphorisms and clichés are there about persistence?

The early bird gets the worm. Slow and steady wins the race. If at first, you don’t succeed, try again. If life gives you lemons make lemonade.

The list goes on and on.

“Vision without action is merely a dream. Action without vision just passes the time. Vision with action can change the world.” – Joel A. Barker

The reason that there are so many old sayings about persistence is twofold: First, it’s an essential element in success and second, it an element of success that gives a lot of people a lot of trouble.

Something as essential and troublesome as persistence deserves a lot of clichéd sayings and a lot of attention.

The problem with the road to success is that many people only picture the destination, not the journey.

The Vision Of Success As A Lifelong Process

When they do this, they not only fail to see that real success is not a destination (it’s a lifelong process), but they also fail to see the potential problems that routinely occur when striving for success.

When these problems occur, the unprepared person is stopped dead in their tracks. In their confusion, they forget where they were going and why and instead head back to where they came from.

When you prepare for and anticipate the setbacks that can and will happen on the journey to success, you are ready to repair, rethink and re-engage.

The persistent person understands that failure is a temporary condition that affects everyone at one time or another before they reach their goal. They also understand that failure and setback teach powerful lessons that ultimately make you stronger.

As Gandhi said, strength does not come through winning. Instead, strength comes through failure.

When you struggle and decide not to quit, that is strength. It is also persistence and points up why every successful business owner understands that setbacks are opportunities in disguise. Simply stay true to your vision.