DO VISIONS GO ALL WRONG?

Years ago or probably a year or few months ago, you ecstatically sat down to set your vision and goals for your future. Maybe, you didn’t get to write it down, but slowly you began to wrap your head around your vision and began to work towards it.

Who knows, perhaps you didn’t set it for yourself, but people around you did and you finally fell into line. Your parents told you how magnificent you would look in a scrub as a doctor or wearing a wig (peruke) as a lawyer. Perhaps, your aunt, uncle or friends kept harping on how much money you’d make as a civil engineer or pharmacist.

They coerced you to choose the oil company job and drop your drawing pencils and color as a passionate artist. They talked down on your aspirations of becoming a musician, dancer or teacher and praised nursing so much that you gave in and purchased the form for the nursing school to begin your educational journey as a nurse.

Three years down the line, you dread waking up from sleep whenever you think of the patients you have to nurse back to health. You get drained 5 minutes after you step into your workplace and spend the rest of the day either shying away from work by hiding and counting the ceilings, or by sluggishly doing the necessary work and wishing time would speed up so you can go home.

Does the idea of continuing to pursue your present vision feel you with so much misery that you fear your fragile heart would burst from the pain? Do you find yourself less and less passionate about your career choices, while noticing an overwhelming passion for a different career opportunity? Do you dread your future based on the vision you previously set?

If yes, then your vision has gone wrong. The good news is that you are not alone in this. Countless number of persons experience this in their lifetime. For instance, Chimamanda Adichie, the great writer; Jane Egerton-Idehen, the Telecommunications Executive; Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex; Tobechukwu Victor Okoh (Peruzzi), the musician; John Grisham, the Best-selling author; and Harris Ford, the Indiana Jones. How did they all switched their career when they found their visions has gone all wrong?

#1 – BECAME FEARLESS:

In correcting their visions which had gone all wrong, these famous persons became fearless. They shred their doubts, fears and uncertainties. They discarded their need for people’s acknowledgement, focusing instead on what makes them happy; what they are really passionate about. Jane Egerton-Idehen recounts that her parents wanted her to study medicine, but her passion for Engineering wouldn’t let her apply for medicine. When finally, she gave in to pressure and applied for Industrial Chemistry, one year down the line, she realized she was restless and still wanted to pursue her passion. Her restlessness finally made her fearless, and in her second year, she switched from studying Industrial Chemistry to Electronics Engineering.

#2 – DROPPED OUT OF SCHOOL, WORK, AND WITH NEGATIVE FRIENDS:

People around you will not always be supportive of your vision or career choices. Your family, parents, guardians or elderly ones could even threaten to cut ties with you. Be ready to face opposition’s like this if you want to set your vision right again. Chimamanda Adichie recounts dropping out of school in order to pursue her own dreams of becoming a writer. Even though her parents had been supportive of her switch, she reveals in an interview that, “My parents already had sensible children who would be able to make an actual living, and I think they felt comfortable sacrificing their one strange child.” In the case of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry; the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, their decision to pull away from Royal life in order to pursue their passion of running charitable entities raised a lot of dust amongst their subjects. But even these unending opposition failed as a deterrent factor, rather fueling their need for financial independence and their decision to move away from the area of opposition.

#3 – MASTERED THEIR CRAFT:

Where passion is, improvement comes naturally and easily. Setting your visions right again requires a conscious effort on your part to master your craft, so you can start up a career in your field of passion. Tobechukwu Victor Okoh, the talented Nigerian singer, songwriter and performing artiste is a prime example of talent needing continual developing. Finally overcoming his need for public approval, he dropped out of Medical school in his fifth year and has since then continually developed his talent, leading to numerous awards and achievements.

#4 – MADE NEW FRIENDS AND NETWORK:

In the journey of life, you need people to progress. Your network determines to a large extent the number and level of opportunities you will have access to. In trying to make their visions right again, these influential people knew they had to network and make new friends in this field of passion. Harris Ford whom we all know as Indiana Jones due to his extraordinary acting in Star Wars recalls starting his movie career and getting his big hit through his new friends and network. He was recommended by Fred Roos – who was very keen on helping him start off his career – to George Lucas. Harris recalled how it all happened when he said, “I had helped George Lucas audition other actors for the principle [sic] parts, and with no expectation or indication that I might be considered for the part of Han, I was quite surprised when I was offered the part. My principle [sic] job at the time was carpentry.”

#5 – WROTE DOWN THEIR NEW VISION:

In our previous article titled Setting your vision 2020, I talked about the importance of writing down your vision and being committed enough to achieving it. I talked about the necessity to break it down into steps you can take every single day. John Grisham, the best-selling author attributed this to his success. He said he became a writer by “stealing away a little time, thirty minutes to an hour each day”. In his New York Times list of writing tips, Grisham has one more nugget of advice about being consistent: “Write your one page each day at the same place and time. Early morning, lunch break, on the train, late at night – it doesn’t matter. Find the extra hour, go to the same place, shut the door. No exceptions, no excuses.”

READ ALSO: How to keep moving forward in year 2020