Springtime Vision: Planting Seeds for Growth
Springtime is about planting the seeds of the vision that God imparted during the winter. This involves preparing the soil—breaking it up, fertilizing it—making sure it's ready for the seeds to be planted. Once the ground is ready, we plant the seeds, water them, and then wait patiently for growth.
The process varies for everyone, just as different crops require different care. For me, my top five CliftonStrengths—Significance, Futuristic, Individualization, Focus, and Maximizer—highlight that I am future-oriented, strategically focused, and love designing things. This shapes how I plant the vision I've been given.
The banner photo is my vision wall, where I took artwork off the wall and began the design phase. Some people might prefer a business plan template, systematically filling out answers, but each of us needs to work in a way that aligns with how we're wired. Though the wall might appear chaotic, there was a method to it.
I began by digging into the core: Who am I? What am I called to? I succinctly defined my purpose, values, vision, and season of life. This is not to be confused with the seasons I'm writing about, but rather how different decades of life modify our focus and how we live out our calling. There’s definitely a shift in how I approach life in my 50s compared to earlier decades.
Once I defined my purpose, values, vision, and season, these informed my mission statement. To live authentically, my mission must align with these four areas.
With the mission statement defined, I mapped out the business areas that support the mission: products/services, marketing, administration, and staff development. Over the past few months, I've particularly focused on services and marketing.
For services, I defined what I will and won’t do. Every “yes” has a corresponding “no”—for instance, to step out in faith, I have to say “no” to CFO work so I can say “yes” to executive coaching. This is a healthy boundary-setting exercise, defining the harvest I want to yield. If I plant apple seeds, I won’t get tomatoes. Defining services also involved determining who I will serve and what their needs are.
Once the services were defined, these discoveries fed into the marketing approach.
The Practical Application
If you could see the details on the vision wall, you'd notice the focus on the three areas discussed. At the heart of the wall is the mission, along with purpose, values, vision, and season. From there, it branches out to marketing on the right and services on the left. The wall is dynamic and continues to grow.
Christine and I used the wall this morning to plan our day. It helped us prioritize what would move us forward the most and allowed for a brief review of what we've accomplished—celebrating the progress—before getting back to work.
It might sound overwhelming, and it can be. But seeing the entire picture helps me focus on the areas needing attention. When I feel overwhelmed by the enormity of starting a new business, leaving the past behind, and trusting God, I step away from the wall, take a long hike, talk to the Author of the vision, and then get back to it.
In this season of spring, as we plant the seeds of vision, it's crucial to remember the importance of preparation, patience, and faith. The growth may not be immediate, but with consistent effort and trust, the vision will eventually come to fruition.