Protect Your Vision Until It Becomes Reality

A lot of people get so excited about their vision, dreams, goals, and plans that they go sharing their next moves with everyone around them. There are some people that, as soon as they get an idea, get an opportunity, or start a new project, they will rush to tell the people around them. It is true that there may not be anything wrong with sharing good news with others, but you should also understand that no every vision needs to be shared before their time. The truth is that there are some dreams that need to be protected first before that can become publicly announced.

A few months back, a friend of mine came to me to complain what her friend did to her, and how she betrayed her. She had a business idea of what she wanted to start doing. It was a particular type of mixed spiced potato-plantain chips. She casually dropped the details of the idea with her friend. Weeks passed, yet she did not start the business. To her, she was waiting for a "perfect start." She was just busy talking about it, yet she knows that she was not ready to put actions into it. She even went further to explain how the package will look like to make it catchy to the potential customers.

Well, after about 3 months, she was surprised to see that her friend has already started a similar business. She felt so bad and felt betrayed. She confronted her friend to ask her why she went ahead to implement an idea that she shared with her. She turned to her and told her that she thought that she had given up on the idea when months passed and she did not start. She then told her that the "atmosphere is too big for two birds to comfortably fly." What she meant was that she can still start whenever she is ready. But the problem is that she has lost the "early bird" grace. If she had kept the idea until it was right, no one would have stolen it.

What you should understand is that what people do not know, it will be almost impossible for them to ruin or destroy it. People work with the information at hand. There are times, especially during the building phase of your life, that you need to focus on building up yourself and avoid public attention first. There are some blessings that are better when they announce themselves. Imagine a woman going around to tell everyone that she is 1 week pregnant, when she can simply wait until it becomes visibly clear that everyone can see. Know what to share, when to share it, how to share it, and most importantly, know who to share it with.

I have heard people say that vision is a seed. If that is true, then you will agree with me that no good farmer plants his seeds and then keeps digging them up everyday to show everyone what he has planted. Instead, he will protect the seeds, water them, add fertiliser, then allow them to grow. When the seeds grow and become healthy plants, then everyone will see the results. In the same way in other aspects of life, your goals, dreams, ideas, and aspirations need time, efforts, and protection before they will become reality. When the results start to speak for themselves, it will be better than prematurely announcing it and ultimately putting your vision at risk.

Another reason why you need to guard and protect your vision is that not everyone will understand it. Some great ideas may sound very impossible to the others at the beginning. If you share your plan or your dream with the wrong people, or with people who do not understand it, they may laugh, criticise, or even discourage you. Their negative words can weaken your confidence, and may even make you to doubt your ability. What began as a very strong vision can slowly die as a result of constant criticism and doubt. This is why you need to protect your vision until it becomes reality.

I have also come to notice that it will be easier for you to maintain your focus when you protect your vision. Every dream will require a form of concentration, persistence, and sacrifice for it to be fulfilled. When a lot of people have known your plans or your dreams, you may feel the need or the pressure to explain every step you take, to defend the decisions you take, or to respond to unnecessary opinions. This can distract you from putting the work that truly matters. So you see, you need focus, which can come in silence, to be able to work on your idea for it to become a reality.

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