Read more articles by Eugene Moreau.
Several years ago, I was meeting with a couple, helping them unlock a vision for their life. They were in their mid to late forties and their last child had just left the nest and they were wondering what to do now.
They had nothing better to do with their time so they decided to call me and see if we could do something about unlocking a fresh vision for the rest of their life. As you do.
After catching up over a few cups of green tea, we started talking about the real reason I was sitting in their wonderful home. I started by asking a question that has to be a million years old…… well ok, maybe only a few thousand years old. Here’s the question: ‘What would you do with your life if you no longer had to worry about money?’
It was amazing to sit and watch the reaction to that question. The wife sat back, her head tilted slightly backwards and with a glassy, far away look settling in her eyes she lost herself into the land of imagination. Only she and God were seeing what was actually playing out in her mind. Her husband shifted in his chair as though he had ants in his pants and…… well, he literally started to lick his lips!
That was an evening to remember. I do recall the vision we began to develop that evening was life changing. It was inspiring and it was do-able! So they are doing it. By the way, they are not wealthy to the point they no longer have to worry about money, but money does not control their dream and their passion for pursuing it.
So, let me ask you……’What would you do with your life if you no longer had to worry about money?' What would you do if you suddenly found yourself independently wealthy without need of a job? If you could do anything you wanted with your life? Would you be doing what you’re doing right now? Are you living the life of your dreams? Are you passionately pursuing a vision that will deliver fulfilment and completion in your life?
Sadly, most of us live our life with hope as our primary strategy. We hope something or someone, will come and help us find meaning or vision for and in our life. Hope is a useless strategy and serves its master with destructive loyalty. The strategy of hope relies on winning a lottery to provide a future with meaning. For most of us the sensation of winning lottery will never happen. Also, for most of us, we will never inherit a fortune from some lost relative we have never met, who has secretly been watching us from afar and has deemed us worthy of their millions when they die.
Hey…. my point here is not about having money! You don’t need money to have a vision for your life! The point is about the vision. What would you do with your life if you no longer had to worry about the money?
Life is a journey and every journey has a destination. Everybody ends up somewhere in life. A few people end up somewhere on purpose. A clear vision, along with the courage to follow through, dramatically increases your chances of coming to the end of your life, looking back with a deep satisfaction and thinking “I did it. I succeeded. I finished well. My life counted.”
Without a clear vision, odds are you will come to the end of your life and wonder what you could have done – what you should have done. And like so many, you may wonder if your life really mattered at all.
Vision gives significance to the otherwise meaningless details of our lives. It’s not always about what we’re doing, but rather why we are doing it. Without a vision you will always be at the mercy of other people who do have a vision. Far too many people simply let life happen to them, only seeing what’s set before them. This is called a life of reaction. A life of reaction is a life of survival.
A vision that is worthy of passionate pursuit is not a vision of survival; it is a vision that is beyond the current circumstances, beyond the right now. It is a picture, a clear description, of what will be the reality of our life at some point of time in the future.
A vision that is worthy of passionate pursuit can infuse a life with amazing character and direction. In his book ‘The Big Idea’ Steven Strauss tells a number of ‘stories’ about people who had a vision that was worthy of passionate pursuit. I’m talking about the kind of visions when realised the world felt the impact. Every story in the book reveals character and direction as the two of the essential elements that accompany a life inspiring vision.
Let me share one of the stories with you. Have you ever heard of Eugene McDonald? No? Well, this man changed the world with his vision. McDonald had a vision that would allow a person to change the channel of a TV without even leaving the Lazy Boy!
Ok, I can tell some of the generation that follows behind me and live in the land of iPod and nano seconds are saying, “What do you mean?” Well, let me give you context so you can understand the importance of this vision and why it was so worthy of passionate pursuit.
McDonald started a company called Zenith Radio Corporation in 1923 and the company grew quickly, innovating, mostly in the area of radio engineering. Zenith brought the first portable radio to the world in 1942, the first home radio receiver to operate on household current in 1926, and the first automatic push-button radio in 1927. Zenith even pioneered Am and FM radio broadcasting – including the invention of the FM stereo radio broadcast system.
But it was the television field where McDonald’s vision would truly come alive. Not only did he develop the first prototype television receivers in the late 1930’s, but in 1948, he and Zenith introduced one of the first-ever black-and-white TV sets. As TV grew, so did the need to pay for it and the introduction of the commercial soon followed. While McDonald was an innovator of TV, he detested commercials, even though he was acutely aware of the absolute need for them to pay for TV continuing. McDonald was firmly convinced that TV viewers would not tolerate commercials. His ardent goal, his dream, his vision was to be able to help the TV viewer get rid of commercials.
His first idea was to create subscription TV – it was like a Stone Age version of cable network. That vision was so far ahead of its time that it was beyond the imagination of anyone…for many years. So, instead, he set his mind to creating a device that would allow viewers to change the station from a remote location when a commercial would come on.
McDonald had seen similar remotes in the military so he decided to adapt the technology for television. So ladies, Eugene McDonald is one to be blamed…it was he who created the source of many intense domestic discussions: the TV remote control.
In 1950 the first television remote control, called ‘Lazy Bones’ was developed and offered for sale. While it was not all McDonald hoped it would be, it was a start.
The hand-grenade-shaped Lazy Bones was connected to the TV with a cable. By pushing buttons on the remote control, viewers rotated the channels higher or lower. Lazy Bones even had a button that could turn the TV on or off! “Prest-o! Change-o! With Zenith’s Lazy Bones you remain seated during an entire evening’s television entertainment!”…..that’s what the first advertisement said. Honest…..check it out.
So, there you have it. Once you capture a vision for the future—and the role you play in it—passion is born. In fact vision is a picture of the future that gives passion in the present.
How does a person unlock a vision for their life that brings them out of a state o survival thinking into successful thinking, and even into significant level thinking? I'll tell you how in the next couple of weeks…it will be titled…“How To Unlock A Vision For Your Life Right Here….Right Now!”
Until next time….. let me ask you one more time…."What would you do with your life if you no longer had to worry about money?"
Dream on. Dream on.
Eugene.
Eugene Moreau unlocks vision and inspires passion in men and women who find themselves in the zone of transition. He is the proud father of Shayna and the even prouder husband of Chereen and the sometimes proud master of Charlie the incredibly smart Border collie, Chester the high maintenance Labrador and Fluffy the one eyed cat. Together they all live in a warm and lively home in Mangere Bridge, Auckland, New Zealand.
For more of Eugene’s writings and information please visit www.eugenemoreau.com