The Incredible Power of Vision and Our Founding Fathers

With Independence Day almost upon us I think about our founding fathers who had a powerful shared vision that resulted in in the most prosperous, free, and innovative society in history. Not to mention the fact that they ignited the flame of liberty that spread around the world. The incredible success of our nation was not solely due to advanced technology or the industrial revolution but it was successful in large part because of the power of a positive vision of a special group of freedom loving visionaries who knew exactly what they were doing and created the greatest country on earth. This is a perfect example of the incredible power of a positive vision.

For thousands of years successful men have understood the importance of vision. We need only look to a passage in the Old Testament of the Bible which reads "Where there is no vision the people parish."

A positive vision is very simply a mental representation, or image in your mind’s eye, of your ideal future. Think of a vision like a light house that keeps you on course leading you on your journey to your hearts destination. Without a vision you become like a rudderless ship without aim, a vision can also unleash enormous power, it is powerful because it acts as a compass to help you make your decisions easier and brings greater meaning to your life. A great vision propels people to be extra-ordinary.1

Think of the great visionaries in history, people that have achieved greatness in the world, people like Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Ronald Reagan and JFK. All great men and women of history have been guided by great visions. They were ordinary people who had the courage to dream big dreams, their visions encouraged them to take action and keep them on course. There is no question that a powerful vision brings out the greatness in people.

It does this by projecting an upbeat mental image of the future, replacing fears and uncertainty with confidence, thus drawing you to what you want to archive. Not having a vision on the other hand repels you from what you want to achieve replacing it with negative emotions such as fear and stress.

Modern scientific research has confirmed that a lack of vision results in a negative impact on daily life. Andrew MacLeod Professor of clinical psychology at the University of London conducted research where his team interviewed people who survived suicide attempts to understand their motivations. Their surprising discovery was, it’s the lack of a positive vision, not the presence of a negative vision that drives people to attempt suicide. Many other research studies support MacLeod’s findings.2 The lack of the anticipation of a positive event can be very damaging. It’s easy to see why it is important to have a positive vision of the future and the potential consequences of not having one.

America’s founding fathers are long gone but they understood the power of vision; their ideas of freedom, liberty and prosperity live on and have influenced the whole world.

It is said that our country is on the wrong path in a sea of uncertainty and division. Perhaps all we need do is remember what the founding fathers stood for, perhaps the right blueprint for our country has been right here all along and we have strayed away from it.

So what is your vision? For the country, for your career, for your life? What lights you up and puts energy in your life? Have you strayed away from what really makes you flourish?

On this Fourth of July let us remember the words and deeds of the great men who founded our Nation and the powerful vision that they envisioned for all. Let us see them as role models to help us create visions that will truly lead us to human flourishing for us and our loved ones in the future.

1. Moeller, Steve, Endorphinomics The Science of Human Flourishing. pp. 219-221

2. Ibid pp. 218