If you’re going to build something worth building, you have to have some idea of what you’re going to build before you even get started. If you don’t, then you’re merely stacking up sticks that will eventually come crashing down.
What to Build?
This is kind of a silly question, but I also understand how it could be a sincere question. The obvious answer lies in the preliminary question of: “Well, what’s important to you?”
If you attempt to build something that’s not important, or you’re building for a reason that’s inauthentic or simply trying to please people, you won’t find the strength to persevere through the inevitable difficult and challenging times.
To build something worthwhile, something important, is going to be a challenge. Going from where you are to where you would like to be, will require facing all the self-defeating reasons as to why you are not yet there.
If we look at this objectively and ask, “Why am I not yet there?” The simple and direct answer is, “Because I haven’t yet grown into it. I haven’t consciously participated in the process of seeing how it’s possible and engaged in the consistent process of building it.”
What’s Important?
As simple as this question is, there’s quite a bit of nonsense we have to see through. This nonsense is associated with what you “think” should be important, rather than discovering what is genuinely important to you and for you.
Often, in our futile attempt to be accepted by others, we try to gain their acceptance by being what they want us to be. Of course, this only disconnects you from what is genuine, sincere, and unique within you. We run away from ourselves and then later wonder why we feel so distant from ourselves.
As you connect with what is genuinely important to YOU, then the real vision has a chance to show itself.
Let’s look at three questions of importance that might help the vision become clearer… (These are questions that are important to me; you might find different questions.)
- What’s important for my sanity? (Clarity)
- What’s important for my contribution? (Focus)
- What’s important for my future? (Profitable)
The vision of what to build, will be to build a container that helps me honor what’s important.
Important for my Sanity?
Clarity. What kills my sanity, personally, is not being clear about why I’m here and the opportunity I have. It’s like being in the middle of the ocean without any sense of direction or even understanding why I’m in the ocean.
As I look at the foundation of life and being human, it’s rather obvious that the fundamental opportunity is one of learning, growing, and playing. Likewise, I see that if I’m not intentionally learning, growing, and playing, I feel disconnected from an enthusiasm for being alive.
My vision for what to build must include these things as a priority.
Can I be deeply sincere with myself about what I want to learn, where I want to grow, and how I want to play?
- What do I want to learn?
- The art of being a heart-based solopreneur and how to maximize my ability to add genuine value to people’s lives and get paid well for it in the process.
- The art of deep focus and my capacity to get out of my own way. How can I get the most out of myself in the most enjoyable way possible?
- The art of being a heart-based solopreneur and how to maximize my ability to add genuine value to people’s lives and get paid well for it in the process.
- Where do I want to grow?
- I want to grow in my capacity to feel good, be healthy, become stronger, and have deeply meaningful relationships.
- How do I want to play?
- I want to deeply enjoy the experience of adding value to people’s lives while also experiencing financial freedom to effortlessly support myself and engage in activities and experiences that are beautiful, engaging, and adventurous.
Important for my contribution?
I need to focus on doing what only I can do, in the way that only I can do it. My unique expression is what I should focus on, and I can help others in a way that only I can. This is my highest contribution, and this is where my real value lies.
In contrast, a weak contribution would be trying to emulate someone else or attempting to help in areas where I lack the necessary expertise.
To facilitate this focus, I ask myself…
What are the three areas of my highest contribution? How can I best help/serve others based on my direct experience?
- Life & Self-Understanding: Seeing and connecting with what’s real and true beyond the mind’s fearful conditioning.
- The Opportunity of Relationships: Growth in communication, depth/intimacy, and uncovering the opportunities to evolve consciously.
- Solopreneurship/business: Understanding how to create a genuine exchange of value by holding space for others and sharing your life discoveries and passion with the world.
Important for my future?
After reflecting on what’s important for my sanity and contribution, the direction of where I’m going becomes more clear. To give attention to what is important overall, there needs to be a container that allows for the following:
- A supportive community: I want to surround myself with people who are committed to learning, growing, and playing. This includes finding mentors, peers, and friends who will support and challenge me as I pursue my vision.
- Financial stability: I want to build sustainable businesses and offerings that allow me to abundantly support myself and invest in projects I care about, while also creating a meaningful and fun impact in the lives of other people.
- Opportunities for adventure: I want my work to be intertwined with an energy of play and adventure, while also experiencing play and adventure outside of work. This means that my work cannot be my whole life, but it is an integrated part of it. It’s not separate, it’s an extension.
The Vision…
Now that I have explored what is important to me, my vision is taking shape. I plan to build a container that will help me honor what is important.
To start, I will break my vision down into three categories and write one long sentence that encapsulates what I see as possible:
- The Vision for My Self: I will engage wholeheartedly in the experience of life and being human, feeling healthy and strong, while also participating in adventures and activities that I thoroughly enjoy.
- The Vision for Work: My business offerings will bring a smile to the lives of one hundred thousand people every year for free, while also having three thousand of those people pay me between €40 and €30,000 in exchange for the value I provide (an average of €600 per person).
- The Vision for My Relationship: I will be deeply devoted to supporting my friends and inner circle and will experience the greatest adventures with my beautiful life partner, with whom I will explore the most stunning locations around the world.
The Daily Vision, example:
To expand on this, I like to ask myself, “What does an average day look like for me?”
I wake up at 5 am and ground myself outside with some physical activity, such as sprinting and lifting heavy objects. I take a cold shower and then relax into stillness and breathing, before heading to the café to start working by 6:15 am. I’m deeply focused on writing for 2 or 3 hours, then I take a short walk to clear my mind. I return to work and engage in follow-ups, emails, community interaction, and other tasks. At 11:30, I head home to cook lunch for myself and my partner, and we share some sweet moments together for 2 hours. I engage in some meetings in the form of private sessions, interviews, or live videos. Once it’s 3 or 4 pm, I’m done working and tomorrow’s work is all planned. I head out to play some tennis or swim in the ocean. Later, I cook dinner for my partner and me, and we enjoy our relaxed evening together, feeling deeply grateful for this life we get to share.
What’s Next? (The Gap)
Now that my vision is clear, it is infinitely more apparent what I need to focus on. I can start reverse-engineering my vision by working backward. Having such clarity about where I’m going invites me to see more clearly where I currently am, and then strategize how to bridge the gap.
The gap is where I grow, where I focus, and where I devote my time and attention. I fill the gap with strategic and clear activities that will undoubtedly bring me closer to my vision.
If there is something going on in my life that doesn’t serve this vision, I deeply question if I can remove it or greatly minimize it. The question is, do these other things honor my vision, or are they merely distractions?
Happy Vision Building!
-Tiger Singleton
p.s. The inspiration for this letter comes from my preparation for teaching an upcoming lesson in the Solopreneur Group Training (SGT) program. The subject: being profoundly clear about what you are offering, who you offer it to, and how you are going to deliver what you offer.