Binding Vision and Action

I read a quote today that states “Vision without action is daydreaming and action without vision is a nightmare.” How many times have you seen these two scenarios?

My friend and I were talking about focus and the dangers of short term focus or long term focus only. I think this quote sums up these dangers.

Some of us are great at getting things done. We put our heads down and plow through the tasks at hand. This is a necessary trait and if this describes you please be aware that when you pick your head up you might have missed your original goals. Tips for you: Take the time to state your goals while working on your tasks to ensure that your short term focus is aligned with the long term goals.

Some of us are great at seeing tomorrow. We have ideas and plans that we communicate to others how to make things better for tomorrow. This is where innovation comes from and thinking out side the box. The caution for these folks is that at some point you will need to roll up your sleeves and do some of the daily incremental work to reach these visions. Tips for you: Continue to think long term but each day complete some short term goals to keep momentum towards your vision.

And if you are fortunate, partner with someone that has a complimentary focus with you. This way you can balance the short term (action)and long term (vision), work to your strengths, and we will know tomorrow will be better because the work got done today.