Science fiction at its best holds the promise of what can be.
It is idealistic and hopeful. That is what vision, at least great vision, is about – a clear picture of a better tomorrow.
My first introduction to science fiction was through the movie “2001: A Space Odyssey,” which came out in 1968. From the very first scene, I was transfixed. Many technologies that did not exist at the time, but would exist decades later, were shown. So many touches are designed to make you feel like you are there. When Dr. Floyd is on the space station, he uses voice print identification, a technology that would not exist until the late 1990s. Later on, we see Dr. Floyd in a Bell telephone video conference booth to wish his young daughter back on earth a happy birthday. Affordable video conferencing with webcams came in the 1990s, while the iPhone, which would have video call technology, was launched in 2007. Later, we see three scientists in cryogenic hibernation on a spacecraft run by a highly sophisticated, emotionally intelligent talking computer named HAL. While we have computer devices we can talk to and get answers from like Siri or Alexa, we still don’t have sophisticated emotionally intelligent AI devices like HAL, at least not yet!
The world that is created within this movie gives such a precise picture of a better tomorrow. A great personal or professional vision is often like this – a clear picture of a preferred future and a better tomorrow. It feels so real that you can almost touch it. It feels so real that you would want to live there – you want that vision to happen now.
Another great example of this is the original “Star Trek” series that came out in 1966. The show imagines a world where a collection of planets has banded together under an organization called the United Federation of Planets. Within the Federation there are no wars or poverty. It’s almost a utopian society. Starfleet is the defensive, scientific, and exploratory arm of the Federation, composed of many spacecrafts. Starfleet’s mission in the original 1966 series was, famously, “to boldly go where no man has gone before.”
Science fiction at its best such as “2001: A Space Odyssey” and “Star Trek” provide a great example of vision. It is bold and feels far removed from where we are, but yet also feels attainable. The clarity of the vision makes it seem so real. Who of us would not want a future with a more peaceful, inclusive society or with great technological advances?
We spoke in the last blog of how vision often arises out of something you feel must change, perhaps relating to a crucible experience. But vision can also arise out of something that you feel could happen. You lie awake at night dreaming about it. Start thinking about what is it that you would like to have happen. Think far into the future. What would life look like? Once you have that vision in your head, write it down. Fill in the details of the vision, so that you can almost feel it and touch it. You know you have arrived at a good vision when it feels almost impossible — but not quite.
The next step is to get a core team together who share the same vision. The technology or infrastructure may not yet exist to make all of your vision become reality. But get started on a piece of it. What can you do now? What is the first step?
The takeaway here is to let your imagination go. It may take time, even years, for your vision to become clear, but start today. Boldly go where no one has gone before.
Reflection
What is your vision of a better tomorrow?
Next Steps
What first step will you take to make the vision happen?
Below are some next steps to get started:
Write down what you feel would be amazing if it could happen.
Imagine a time a few years from now when your vision has become reality. Write down what you see or paint a picture of what life looks like in this vision.
Share your vision with a core team that believes in the vision. Ask them to add to it and make it better.
To explore Beyond the Crucible resources, including our free Trials-to-Triumphs Self-Assessment, visit beyondthecrucible.com.
Enjoy the show? Leave a review on your favorite podcast app and leave a comment at our YouTube channel and be sure subscribe and tell your friends and family about us.
Take the free Trials-to-Triumphs Self-Assessment to discover where you are on your journey of moving beyond your crucible and how to chart your personal course to a life of significance: https://beyondthecrucible.com/assessment/
Finding Your Vision
Vision is a picture of a preferred future reality. It may seem almost impossible to achieve, but that is not a deterrent. You may not have a clear picture of what you want your vision to be or where you want to take your life, but you often have an idea, a thought. It calls out to you, compels you, and fills you with a passion unlike any you’ve felt before. I like to compare it to an impressionist painting more so than a photo. You can see colors and shapes, even if they are not well defined. You have a sense of what you want your life to look like and what your purpose should be. It’s exciting — propelling you forward with every thought.
The question many people will have is how you find your vision. Vision may come out of a crucible experience you have had. It’s often the most challenging and painful experiences in life that move people into finding their vision. Look at all the things you don’t like and want to change. Look at all the things you enjoy that you want to continue to serve. Out of all of those things, which are you really passionate about?
Forming Your Vision
So how do you form a vision that is so compelling, that you are so passionate about? I like to think that the best-formed visions live at the intersection of your deep-seated beliefs and your aptitude. It starts with being grounded in your fundamental beliefs. A vision that will go the distance must fulfill a higher purpose — something that you believe will make the world a better place. Circumstances such as crucible experiences often provide fertile ground for understanding who you really are and what innate gifts and abilities you have. Creating a vision for yourself that fully aligns with who you are sets the foundation for you to live and lead with uncompromised authenticity.
In an earlier blog post, I spoke of Walt Disney. He had a vision of a different kind of cartoon, cartoons like Snow White that would be full feature-length movies that would tell a compelling story. It helped that Walt Disney was an animator that could inspire others with the vision he wanted to achieve.
Vision can sometimes seem hard to define. But a vision that is anchored in who you are and what you believe, defined and refined by circumstances such as crucible experiences and fueled by a higher purpose, will become clear and grow over time. Walt Disney did not necessarily have a vision of everything he would achieve, but he was fascinated with animated cartoons and the ability to tell stories. He knew that there was promise there, he believed in what his vision was, and so he began the journey of turning it into a reality.
What we learn from Walt Disney is that vision may change, evolve, and grow into something greater or different than you originally intended, but this is alright. The important thing is to start. Begin with what you feel needs to change, perhaps as a result of a crucible experience, then take one step at a time. The vision will become more defined over time. Trust your instincts and trust the process as your vision begins to slowly evolve and take shape.
Making It Stick
Seeing your vision take hold and grow in clarity is not easy — it may take years. Inevitably there will be challenges and setbacks. So how do you keep going and persevere? It is critical that you have a support team that believes in you and your vision, people who are with you no matter what. It could be family members, or it could be the team that you are going to build the vision with. If the vision is all about you, you will probably find it hard to attract people to help you or be part of your vision.
To have staying power, you also have to believe in what you are doing. Always remember why you started this journey and why it’s important to you that you see it through. Don’t let fear or doubt hold you back. A vision that will go the distance must fulfill a higher purpose, something that you believe will make the world a better place. This will always help compel you and your team forward.
There’s no better time than now to begin your journey to finding your vision, forming it, and giving it the necessary ingredients to make it become a reality.
What dream do you have that you would like to become reality? Get out your paintbrush and start painting. Brush stroke by brush stroke, you will fill in your vision and bring it to life in ways you could never imagine.
Reflection
What do you really care about?
Next Steps
Write down what you believe must change. It may be from a crucible experience. It will be something that you believe will fulfill a higher purpose and will help others.
Write down the names of the core team that will help make your vision a reality.
Write down the first step you will take on the journey to making your vision come true.
To explore Beyond the Crucible resources, including our free Trials-to-Triumphs Self-Assessment, visit beyondthecrucible.com.
Enjoy the show? Leave a review on your favorite podcast app and leave a comment at our YouTube channel and be sure subscribe and tell your friends and family about us.
Take the free Trials-to-Triumphs Self-Assessment to discover where you are on your journey of moving beyond your crucible and how to chart your personal course to a life of significance: https://beyondthecrucible.com/assessment/
Many of us find it hard to listen, especially when our minds are made up on a course of action. Leaders often find it hard to listen to their team when they are convinced they know what to do. “Stop holding me up! We need to move now!” We might have heard this before or even been the one saying this. But great leaders do listen to those around them. Their team will often have skills and experience that they don’t have.
George Washington was a great example of a leader who was impatient and wanted things to happen yesterday. Yet, albeit reluctantly, he listened to his team of commanders, many of whom had more military experience than he did.
From the latter half of 1775 to early 1776, Washington lay siege to the British forces in Boston. Time and again, he wanted to take the fight to the enemy and capture Boston. Each time, his key commanders said it wasn’t time. Washington was certainly frustrated, but each time he listened to his commanders.
In 1775, Boston was almost an island, connected to the mainland by a narrow causeway or neck. While the American forces barricaded the neck, the British were in something of an impregnable fortress.
Washington’s troops were not in great shape. As time wore on toward the end of the year, some were absent or sick. There were shortages of blankets, tents, and clothing. To make matters worse, many soldiers had enlisted until the end of the year of 1775, when it was assumed many would leave. While Washington did have some military experience, he had not led an army into battle. His experience and ability were not at the same level as his adversary, British General William Howe. Though perhaps a bit complacent, Howe was an able and courageous general. Washington’s army of volunteers was up against the might of the British army. This was not going to be easy.
Between September 1775 and February 1776, Washington convened four councils of war with his leading commanders. These commanders included experienced former British officers in Major General Charles Lee and Brigadier Horatio Gates. At each council, Washington would call for an all-out attack – but each time his commanders unanimously agreed not to attack. In February 1776, Colonel Henry Knox had somewhat miraculously brought 58 mortars and cannons from Fort Ticonderoga, New York, to the Boston area. Washington again wanted to attack the British in Boston, but still his commanders said no. Can you imagine how frustrated Washington must have been?
Little did Washington know, but his commanders had a daring and brilliant plan. In the dead of night on March 4, 1776, Washington’s commanders had over 3,000 troops, along with at least twenty cannons, scale the Dorchester Heights overlooking Boston and its harbor. By morning, the British were faced with American forces and cannons that could strike right into Boston and potentially fire upon the British ships in the harbor. The British position was untenable. British General Howe said, “My God, these fellows have done more work in one night than I could make my army do in three months.” That night the British were forced to leave with 120 ships carrying more than 11,000 troops, loyalists, and their families to Canada. Washington had achieved a bold and brilliant victory.
What can we learn from George Washington about listening and, in particular, listening to those around us? Washington was an impatient man with a fiery temper. He obviously wanted to capture Boston as quickly as possible, but when faced with the united opposition of his team, he wisely, if reluctantly, listened. To have attacked before he had the right equipment and the right strategy would have been foolish. Washington was up against an able opponent in British General Howe who had more battlefield command experience than he did. Washington, with good judgment, forced himself to be patient and listen to his team of able commanders.
For us, we may be convinced we know what we should do, yet we are often faced with challenging circumstances where mistakes can be costly. Listening to those around us, in some cases our team, will add perspectives and knowledge that we simply don’t have. No one can possibly have all the answers.
To put it simply, listening is typically the right play. Why wouldn’t we want to listen to people with knowledge and expertise that we don’t have?
Reflection
What can we learn from Washington and his ability to control his natural impatience?
What can we learn from how Washington listened to his team?
Can you think of a time you listened to those around you instead of yourself and it paid off?
To explore Beyond the Crucible resources, including our free Trials-to-Triumphs Self-Assessment, visit beyondthecrucible.com.
Enjoy the show? Leave a review on your favorite podcast app and leave a comment at our YouTube channel and be sure subscribe and tell your friends and family about us.
Take the free Trials-to-Triumphs Self-Assessment to discover where you are on your journey of moving beyond your crucible and how to chart your personal course to a life of significance: https://beyondthecrucible.com/assessment/
To lead a life of significance an indispensable component is listening. Many endeavors in life require a jumping off point. It’s the point where you have to stop thinking and dreaming about what you want to achieve and make steps to achieving it. Good listening is essential to closing the gap between vision and reality.
If listening is so valuable though, why do so few of us really listen?
Lack of curiosity is the answer. Most people don’t care what other people think – but we should care. Few leaders or people in general listen well. They would rather listen to the sound of their own voices than to other people. The sad fact is so few people really want to listen. Therein lies a conundrum.
What can listening do for you?
To make your vision a reality often requires the input, feedback and buy-in of others. These individuals may work for you or with you. They may be your employees, business partners, associates, or your friends and family. Regardless, without the buy-in of others, typically your vision will go nowhere. In a word, it will be dead on arrival.
Gathering Input
Part of the reason for this is that by listening to others, it may make your vision better. By listening to others, you may find you hear ideas you have not thought of. You might learn of unexpected roadblocks or pitfalls before they happen. Wouldn’t you rather learn of future difficulties before they happen, than be in crisis mode when you have to deal with them in real time?
Receiving Feedback
Good listening also allows you to better understand what is going on around you. The feedback may be from close to home or far away. Either way, feedback is invaluable. You can decide how helpful feedback is from any particular source. But the act of seeking feedback is so important if you really want your vision to happen. One idea could revolutionize our own ideas and make them so much better.
Getting Buy In
Another reason listening is so crucial is that until people have been heard, they will not typically buy-in to your vision. When you allow people to be heard, there’s a chance your vision will change, but there’s also a chance it won’t. Once people have been heard, they may go along with your vision without any changes. At the end of the day, people just want to be heard and feel included.
It all boils down to the fact that if you want your vision to become reality, you have to really want to listen to others. The more you seek to understand the other person, put yourself in their shoes, have empathy for them, the more it will help you listen. We do not have to agree with the input of everyone, but we should want input. We should not be afraid of feedback, because it’s feedback that will help our vision become stronger.
The price of getting our vision accomplished is often our desire to listen…to really listen.
Reflection
Do you really want to listen?
How could listening make your vision so much better?
Who should you listen to?
To explore Beyond the Crucible resources, including our free Trials-to-Triumphs Self-Assessment, visit beyondthecrucible.com.
Enjoy the show? Leave a review on your favorite podcast app and leave a comment at our YouTube channel and be sure subscribe and tell your friends and family about us.
Take the free Trials-to-Triumphs Self-Assessment to discover where you are on your journey of moving beyond your crucible and how to chart your personal course to a life of significance: https://beyondthecrucible.com/assessment/
Letting go is not easy.
We yearn to cling to the familiar, the well-known, the safe. But moving forward often means letting go of the past. For me, this month is such a moment.
Fairwater, the house I grew up in on Sydney Harbor, was sold recently with the settlement being last month. It has been in my family since the early 1900s. It is a truly splendid home, with an amazing garden and an incredible view of Sydney Harbor, including the Sydney Harbor Bridge. It contains priceless artworks and furnishings. Over the years, there have been parties at Fairwater where notable people, including politicians, ambassadors and Hollywood stars, have been entertained.
But for me, Fairwater has so many memories of my parents and past generations. My father was born at Fairwater and died there. I remember on Christmas Eve we would gather around the piano in the Drawing Room, and sing Christmas carols. My father would always start to play the piano with two hands and then would inevitably go to one hand. He had learnt to play the piano many decades before and only played on Christmas Eve.
The hardest part is that Fairwater represents, in some sense, the culmination of the loss of Fairfax family memories, even identity. First there was the AUS $2.25B takeover of the family company, John Fairfax Ltd., that I launched in the late 1980s. Ostensibly the takeover was in part meant to preserve family control of the media business that had been under family control for a century and a half. The reality was that the takeover and its aftermath hastened the end of family control of John Fairfax Ltd. Then in the ensuing decades, Fairfax Media, like many newspaper companies around the world, faced some challenging times with the proliferation of digital media. This led to the recent merger of the Nine Network (similar to the NBC or CBS Networks in the US) with Fairfax Media. As part of the merger, the Fairfax name will cease to exist in the combined corporate entity, though the underlying newspapers such as the Sydney Morning Herald will continue.
It is the sale of Fairwater, the family home for several generations, that feels like the last straw. It’s the last body blow if you will. None of my siblings or I would want to live at Fairwater. To me, it represents a lifestyle of a bygone age, a bit like Downton Abbey. Still the sale of Fairwater has had an emotional impact on me.
What does all this have to do with Crucible Leadership and moving beyond failure? Sometimes in order to move forward, you have to let go. You have to let go of the past. For me, the past includes Fairfax Media, the Fairfax name associated with newspapers such as the Sydney Morning Herald, as well as Fairwater, the Fairfax family home for generations. It feels emotionally like all the memories and heritage are gone.
But that is not my life anymore. I have a wonderful family and a great life in Annapolis MD. I love the work I do as a reflective advisor and writer with Crucible Leadership. I feel called to the two non-profit boards I am on.
Yes, I am proud of my heritage, my family, and its legacy in Fairfax Media – but I have chosen to move forward and not wallow in the past or in my own mistakes and failures any longer.
To move forward beyond failure means you have to let go. Be proud of where you came from but let go of that which stops you from moving forward.
We are not defined by our past or our failures. We are defined by who we are now, where we are going, and the people we seek to serve in this world. This is where our focus should be. We must always try to keep our eyes on where we are headed and the higher purpose we seek to embrace.
Reflection
What memories do you need to let go of that might be holding you back?
What is your higher purpose that needs to be your focus, rather than your failures or painful memories of the past?
Who are you now that the world needs to see?
To explore Beyond the Crucible resources, including our free Trials-to-Triumphs Self-Assessment, visit beyondthecrucible.com.
Enjoy the show? Leave a review on your favorite podcast app and leave a comment at our YouTube channel and be sure subscribe and tell your friends and family about us.
Take the free Trials-to-Triumphs Self-Assessment to discover where you are on your journey of moving beyond your crucible and how to chart your personal course to a life of significance: https://beyondthecrucible.com/assessment/
A World Lacking Authenticity
When you grow up amidst wealth and power as I did in a large family media business in Australia, you don’t always see a lot of authenticity. Amongst the rich and powerful, there can be a temptation to be who others want you to be. Outgoing, confident, in charge. Someone who has all the answers. Someone who can appear caring, but has the ability to not linger too long in any one conversation.
It is this experience that drives my passion for authenticity.
Putting on Airs
One of my highest values, along with humility and integrity,is authenticity. One of my most important goals in life is to be who I truly am, who I was designed to be. I don’t want to pretend to be anyone else. Like anyone I have my strengths and weaknesses. I have character traits that I am grateful to have and some I wished I didn’t have. But regardless, I want to be who I am. I want to be authentic.
I am reminded of a motto of the private boys school, Cranbrook, that I attended in Sydney, “Esse quam videri,” which means ‘to be rather than to seem.’ Growing up I often saw examples of ‘to seem rather than to be.’ People putting on airs to impress others and to create the appearance of self assured success.
It touched a deep nerve within me. I did not want to be like that. But who was I? It look me years to figure this out, to figure out who my true self was. It is not that I ever tried to be someone else. But growing up amidst the spotlight, often being around famous and prominent people, I was somewhat shy and diffident. Besides who I was and who I wanted to be seemed to be irrelevant questions. My calling in life, my duty was all laid out and was clear. I had to prepare myself to one day take a leading position within the large family media company. So I studied hard and did well in school. I went to Oxford like my father and other relatives before me, worked in banking on Wall Street and graduated from Harvard Business School. All to prepare myself for my future role.
But after my failed takeover bid, when I ended up losing control of the family media company, and moved to America, I started asking some difficult questions. Who was I? Was it OK to be me? What should I do now?
Who am I designed to be?
It has been a journey to fully understand who I was and who I was designed to be. In my case, it took quite a while. First to understand how I was wired, how I was designed. I was not the hard charging take no prisoners executive that I felt at the time that the family company needed. I am more of a reflective adviser. I would often prefer to listen and understand than to pontificate. I would rather advise and consult than be the leading figure in the middle of the action.
And second, to value myself as I was designed. It was tempting to feel bad about my gifts and talents, that I did not measure up to what was needed in the family company – that my design was lacking. But over time, I have realized that being a reflective adviser — rather than a hard charging corporate executive — was unique and valuable. There is peace in knowing your own design and that peace can give clarity in how to best apply your design.
So now, I try to lead a truly authentic life in light of my design. I try to be who I am. I serve others and lead a life of significance, though my writing, my executive coaching and through the advise I give being on two non-profit boards. I try to be involved in organizations whose missions I truly care about. I seek out opportunities where my design as a reflective advisor is beneficial and valued.
I am now at peace with who I am and do not yearn to be someone else. But it has been a journey.
Reflection
Are you truly being authentic to how you were designed?
Can you accept that it is OK to be you and not someone else?
What calling that you are passionate about would be best served by who you truly are?
To explore Beyond the Crucible resources, including our free Trials-to-Triumphs Self-Assessment, visit beyondthecrucible.com.
Enjoy the show? Leave a review on your favorite podcast app and leave a comment at our YouTube channel and be sure subscribe and tell your friends and family about us.
Take the free Trials-to-Triumphs Self-Assessment to discover where you are on your journey of moving beyond your crucible and how to chart your personal course to a life of significance: https://beyondthecrucible.com/assessment/
What is authenticity?
In this age of Hollywood stars, celebrities and athletes, we often long to be someone else. We long to be taller, more beautiful, more handsome, smarter, more self assured, more athletic. Anything but who we are. Taken to its extreme this desire to be someone else can even descend into self loathing.
It takes great courage to be authentic, to cast off your mask and be who you truly are. It can feel scary. It can make you feel vulnerable. It is one thing for people to dislike or discount the fake you, the one with a mask, but it is far more threatening if people reject the real you, the authentic you.
Why is authenticity so important?
To be successful, to lead a life of significance, we have to know who we are. The Greeks had a phrase, Know Yourself. We have to know what we are good at —our strengths —and what we are not good at —our weaknesses. We all come out of the box a certain way, with our own unique design. We may be born extroverted or introverted, athletic or artistic. We may be drawn to the sciences (such as math, biology, physics), or we may love the humanities (such as history, literature, music). We are often tempted to shore up our weaknesses, areas we are not good at. But our time would be better spent honing and refining our strengths, what we are good at.
We can then ask what profession, what calling that can help us lead a life of significance, something that helps others, should we pursue. In essence we are asking what calling should we pursue that is based on how we are designed.
From my perspective, God made us for a reason. He gave us a certain design to serve a greater good. Why would we even think of rejecting the design that we have been given?
Living and leading in light of our design to follow a calling that serves a higher purpose, is far more fulfilling. That is what being truly authentic is all about. What others think about who we should be and what we should do is not as relevant. What matters is living and leading in light of who we are.
How do I understand my design?
The first step that usually leads to our identity in life is not, “I know who I am.” It’s usually, “I know who I am not.” Process of elimination. Defining ourselves by what we are not, is the first step that leads us to really know who we are. And it’s usually in the wake of a crucible moment that you start to ask those questions of “who am I,” “who am I not,” “what does success mean to me”.
There are a number of tools out there to help us figure out who we are: Myers Briggs, DISC, Strengths Finder. We can also ask friends, family and colleagues who know us well about what we are good at (our strengths) and what we are not good at (our weaknesses). We can look at the course of our lives and look at the times in our life where we enjoyed what we were doing and were good at it. The SIMA Map, another good assessment, is a good tool that helps us do that.
Even without all these tools which can be helpful, we often have a sense of who we are, what we are good at, and what we are not good at. What we enjoy. What we don’t enjoy. We often ignore what we know to be true about who we are to make others happy. We often follow a career path that others say makes sense for us.
We have a far greater chance of being successful, of living a life that serves others, if we live a life that is in line with who we are and how we are designed. Living in light of who we are not leads to a life of frustration and does not make a whole lot of sense. Being who we were destined to be, being truly authentic — that is a successful life. That is living a life of significance.
Reflection
Are you living in light of who you are and how you were designed, or are you living a life to please others?
What would it look like to live a life that serves a calling that is beyond yourself?
What next step are you going to take to live an authentic life that is grounded in who you truly are and were designed to be?
To explore Beyond the Crucible resources, including our free Trials-to-Triumphs Self-Assessment, visit beyondthecrucible.com.
Enjoy the show? Leave a review on your favorite podcast app and leave a comment at our YouTube channel and be sure subscribe and tell your friends and family about us.
Take the free Trials-to-Triumphs Self-Assessment to discover where you are on your journey of moving beyond your crucible and how to chart your personal course to a life of significance: https://beyondthecrucible.com/assessment/
A Vision Becomes a 150 Year Reality
John Fairfax is a great example of a man whose vision became reality. John Fairfax was my great great grandfather, who started the family media company. The newspaper John Fairfax bought in 1841, the Sydney Morning Herald, was to grow into a media company that had newspapers, television stations, radio stations, magazines and newsprint mills. The company he founded was to stay in family control for close to 150 years and become one of the dominant influential media companies in Australia.
What were the keys to John Fairfax’s vision booming reality? John Fairfax’s vision had its start back in England in 1836 when a local lawyer sued the newspaper, the Leamington Chronicle that John Fairfax had started, for an article the paper had written about the lawyer. Twice the lawyer sued. Each time the court ruled in favor of the paper. But the court costs bankrupted John Fairfax. Out of this crucible experience, John Fairfax decided to leave England and take his family to Australia, a voyage at the time that could last from four to nine months.
John Fairfax’s vision was clear. His paper, which would be the Sydney Morning Herald, “would be without fear to express opinion, it would be without the reproach of self-interest, sworn to no master and free from the narrow channels of sectarianism.” It would not be a partisan newspaper, in an age when many newspapers were partisan. The Sydney Morning Herald’s motto, even before John Fairfax bought it, fit John Fairfax’s philosophy, “In moderation placing all my glory, while Tories call me Whig – and Whigs a Tory.” In modern parlance, this means while Conservatives call me Liberal and Liberals call me Conservative.
“You Will Win and I Will Win”
While John Fairfax’s vision for his newspaper was clear, and seemed to be influenced by his crucible experience, John critically had a strong support team. John’s wife Sarah was a woman of great faith. On their way to Australia, the ship that they were on passed the west coast of Australia, which to John looked like a barren forbidding land. John’s heart sank. He had brought his young family all the way to Australia to this. Somehow Sarah from below deck sensed the despondency in John’s heart and came up on deck. Sarah told him not to worry about her and the children. Sarah told him, “I do not worry about you; I know what you can do, and it is much. I know your strength of purpose, your sound, vigorous brain and your sense of honour. You are well armed, John, for any fray, and you will win and I will win, not only success, but content and great happiness.” What amazing encouragement!
John also had a partner that co-labored with him in the newspaper, Charles Kemp. While John Fairfax handled the business side, Charles Kemp would handle the reporting side, and they would together decide on the newspaper’s editorials. In the years to come, Charles Kemp retired and sold his share to John Fairfax. John had his sons working with him at the newspaper. John Fairfax also had the support of his church, where he was a deacon, the equivalent of an elder in other churches. The elders of his church actually helped raise some money to help buy the Sydney Morning Herald.
Refine, Define, Vision, Reality
John Fairfax faced a number of challenges in making his vision become reality. In a sense John’s vision was borne out of the crucible of losing his paper in England. John knew he was a good newspaperman. He was passionate about the kind of hard charging but impartial newspaper he would create. He had a great support team in his wife and family, as well as with the fellow elders at his church, and he had great co-laborers in Charles Kemp and later in his sons. A combination of great passion for the vision he had for his newspaper, being wired for the role he would play, great family support and capable colleagues, and his strong faith, helped John persevere and make his vision become reality.
Reflection
How does John Fairfax illustrate someone with a clear vision?
Do you have a support team like John Fairfax?
To explore Beyond the Crucible resources, including our free Trials-to-Triumphs Self-Assessment, visit beyondthecrucible.com.
Enjoy the show? Leave a review on your favorite podcast app and leave a comment at our YouTube channel and be sure subscribe and tell your friends and family about us.
Take the free Trials-to-Triumphs Self-Assessment to discover where you are on your journey of moving beyond your crucible and how to chart your personal course to a life of significance: https://beyondthecrucible.com/assessment/
Vision is Good, Reality is better.
There are few things sadder than a vision unfulfilled, a vision lost, especially a vision that you believe in, that you are passionate about.
Making your vision become reality is how you can lead a life of significance; a life that fulfills a higher purpose, a life that is beyond your own interests. This is a life that you are passionate about and are excited to make happen. You truly believe it was your calling. You were made to do this.
So how do you make this compelling vision you have become reality? It often starts with taking stock of your crucible experience. This may be the loss of a business, being fired, a health challenge or some other crisis that has a searing effect on you.
This crucible experience forces you to examine yourself. Who am I? What is my purpose? What was I designed to do?
You reflect on how you were designed, how you were wired, your passions and beliefs.
A Vision Emerges
Out of a clearer idea of how you were designed, and what your passions and beliefs are, as well as reflecting on your crucible experience, a vision emerges. This is a vision that you are white hot passionate about, that often comes out of the pain you endured in your crucible experience. Because you know how you are wired, you know what role you will play in making that vision happen.
In short, making your vision become reality is following the steps above; reflecting on the refining from your crucible experience, understanding how you were designed, pursuing a vision that is often borne out of that crucible experience and is based on who you are.
If you have a vision that you are passionate about, often springing from the pain of your crucible experience, and it is something that you were designed to do, that vision will have a far greater chance of becoming reality.
Can it really be that simple? Yes, in the sense that following these steps will significantly increase the chances of your vision becoming reality. No in the sense that making a vision become reality is not easy. There will be obstacles, some may seem insurmountable. There may be people who feel you are crazy, who don’t believe in your vision.
How do you keep going on this often difficult journey to seeing your vision become reality? It starts from within. Remember this is a vision that is often borne out of the pain of your crucible experience, that you feel white hot passionate about. This is a vision that you feel you were designed for, that you feel is your calling in life.
A Shared Vision
But there is another crucial factor. You have to have a core support team surrounding you that believes in you and your vision. In times of challenge, despondency or even despair, these are the people who will encourage you.
But you often need a team that will encourage you in practical ways; a team that will give advice specific to your vision. They may be knowledgable experts in relevant fields related to your vision. They may indeed be co-laborers with you in making the vision become reality.
One key point to remember. No man or woman is an island. We need people who will support us and encourage us. We need people to come beside us to help us make the vision come to life.
Reflection
What is a vision that you are white hot passionate about, that you feel truly called to?
Who is your support team that will encourage you and believe in you when times get tough?
Who is co-laboring with you to help you bring your vision to life?
To explore Beyond the Crucible resources, including our free Trials-to-Triumphs Self-Assessment, visit beyondthecrucible.com.
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Take the free Trials-to-Triumphs Self-Assessment to discover where you are on your journey of moving beyond your crucible and how to chart your personal course to a life of significance: https://beyondthecrucible.com/assessment/
Moving Forward
A vision is often borne amidst a crucible experience. The seeds of hope can sometimes be found amidst pain and despair. How can this be? A crucible experience is like a shock to the system. The loss of a business, getting fired, a health challenge can all rock our world. A crucible experience causes us to take stock. We ask ourselves what is life all about? What is my purpose? Where am I going? What was I designed for?
To move forward, we need to find a vision that is uniquely ours. To make forward progress, we need to understand how we are wired. We need to know what are our innate gifts; what are our passions, beliefs and values.
Anchored by a deeper understanding of our crucible experience, which may include learning from mistakes we have made, and more fully appreciating who we are and how we are wired, we are in a good place to move forward.
Your Vision is Your Mission
We need to ask ourselves what truly matters to us in life. What are we passionate about? What cause or mission do we believe that we should give our all to? How does that cause or mission line up with our unique wiring and gifting? What role should we play in this mission? How does that role fit with who we are?
Notice how I am viewing a vision as a mission, part of something beyond ourselves. A vision that is in keeping with leading a life of significance has to have a sense of mission from our perspective. A vision that is anchored by our deeply held beliefs and passions will have staying power.
Bringing a vision to reality is not easy. There will be many obstacles. But if that vision is anchored by deeply held beliefs and passions, it is far more likely that we will have the motivation, the staying power, to keep going, to bring that vision to reality.
Vision Overcomes Conventional Wisdom
Walt Disney was one of the great visionaries. He was a serial visionary. He had many ideas that people at the time thought made no sense. Disney made a feature length cartoon in color called Snow White. At the time the conventional wisdom was that no one would come to see a feature length cartoon and take it seriously, at a time when cartoons were typically light hearted short animated features. Snow White premiered in Los Angeles in 1937 with some of the biggest stars in Hollywood present. When Snow White is presumed dead, the audience of Hollywood stars were wiping the tears from their eyes. At the end of the movie, they all stood and cheered.
Walt Disney went on to make many feature length movies, as well as launching Disneyland in California in 1955, and laid the groundwork for Walt Disney World in Florida, which opened in 1971 after Disney’s death.
One key moment earlier in Walt Disney’s career, happened on a train from New York to Los Angeles in 1928. Disney had gone to New York to ask the distributor of his cartoons to movie theaters for more money for his Oswald the Lucky Rabbit cartoons. But when Disney arrived in New York, he found the distributor had secretly hired away almost all of his animators and had inserted some fine print in the contracts saying that Oswald the Luck Rabbit belonged to the distributor. One the train back to Los Angeles, rather than sinking into anger or despair, Walt Disney got out his yellow legal pad and began sketching a series of circles. His sketches became Micky Mouse.
Vision + Perseverance = Achieving the Impossible
Disney did not wallow in his misfortune or beat himself up for not realizing what the distributor was doing to him. He kept on going. Few have heard of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. The whole world has heard of Mickey Mouse.
Walt Disney illustrates the key attribute of dealing with a crucible experience. He kept going, and did not let this misfortune hold him back. I am sure there were lessons to be learned, such as reading contracts more closely, and being careful which business partners you trust. These are important lessons.
But Disney knew what he loved and was good at, making cartoons and constantly innovating. His vision would grow from cartoons, to feature length movies, to theme parks. Disney never gave up. Disney had this phrase that shows a great mindset for making a vision happen, “It’s kind of fun to do the impossible.”
Reflection
What vision is a mission that you truly care about?
How does that vision fit your unique wiring, passions and beliefs?
Do you care enough about the mission of this vision, that you feel you will overcome obstacles come what may?
To explore Beyond the Crucible resources, including our free Trials-to-Triumphs Self-Assessment, visit beyondthecrucible.com.
Enjoy the show? Leave a review on your favorite podcast app and leave a comment at our YouTube channel and be sure subscribe and tell your friends and family about us.
Take the free Trials-to-Triumphs Self-Assessment to discover where you are on your journey of moving beyond your crucible and how to chart your personal course to a life of significance: https://beyondthecrucible.com/assessment/
