Once I closed my restaurant down, the one we took a $50,000 initial investment and in three short years turned that into a $750,000 loss, I received an interesting observation from one of my Mentors. He said: “Ed, you need to Grow Your Vision!”
He went on to explain that I was making the same mistake many business people and pastors make. We believe our calling is to grow our businesses or churches. This creates a type of tunnel vision where our only focus is our own interest.
Those interests being our businesses, churches, customers, parishioners, employees, staff and profit margins! By the way I LIKE all of these things and when worked on in the right way they are GREAT. The problem comes when they consume us and we invest all our time, money, resources, talents, skill and abilities on our business, church, job or profession.
When we Grow our Vision we now focus on our City with as much passion, energy and strategy as we do our business! You probably did the same thing I did when my mentor explained it to me…I told him that was not my RESPONSIBILITY or my JOB!
It is not a mistake you are where you are. You have unique gifts that fit and are in desperate need in your City. If we will get involved and invest into our Cities to the same extent we do our businesses we can transform our Cities!
Most business men and women have no problem pointing out the challenges that are going on in their Cities. Too few have rolled up their sleeves and are using their businesses to help their Cities grow.
How can you use your unique talents and business to help your City? Start small by getting on a Board or Committee that focuses on the growth of the City. Be an example to your people and staff by promoting their involvement also and pay for their membership expenses on those boards and committees.
This will not solve all the problems going on in your City but it is a START and once others see YOU in the game, and your brand growing because of your involvement others will follow. That is the beginning of a REVOLUTION! Transformation always follows.
Since we started to Grow Our Vision by getting involved and invested into our City our businesses have exploded! We did not do it for this reason but it has been a nice side benefit!
Grow Your Vision to include your City!
Find Your Passion and You Will Find Your Life!