ll this energy, particularly in the early days, we can lose our way. It seems an awful lot easier to just quit than it does to keep going, day in and day out.

So what is a vision?

A vision is your dream. It is your long-term picture of how your business and your pers

"You cannot change your destination overnight, but you can change your direction overnight.” Jim Rohn

Those of you who have been in business for more than a few months may already know this, but running your own business takes a lot of energy!! And I'm not just talking about the energy it takes to do the long hours. Nor the energy it takes to be the manager, the lackey, the be all and end all, in your business, and then stumble into bed some time past midnight.

I'm also talking about the emotional drain that the ups and downs of your business bring with it. One week you are feeling on top of the world, new clients, some great feedback from a friend, and you just placed that ad you are sure is going to make your business boom. The next week, two of your clients leave, you get a complaint from one of your suppliers and the fantastic ad turns out to be a real fizzle. It's easy to see why we sometimes feel like throwing in the towel and going back to a J.O.B. (Just Over Broke).

This is why I believe our vision is so important. If we don't have a compelling reason why we are spending all this energy, particularly in the early days, we can lose our way. It seems an awful lot easier to just quit than it does to keep going, day in and day out.

So what is a vision?

A vision is your dream. It is your long-term picture of how your business and your pers

out the energy it takes to do the long hours. Nor the energy it takes to be the manager, the lackey, the be all and end all, in your business, and then stumble into bed some time past midnight.

I'm also talking about the emotional drain that the ups and downs of your business bring with it. One week you are feeling on top of the world, new clients, some great feedback from a friend, and you just placed that ad you are sure is going to make your business boom. The next week, two of your clients leave, you get a complaint from one of your suppliers and the fantastic ad turns out to be a real fizzle. It's easy to see why we sometimes feel like throwing in the towel and going back to a J.O.B. (Just Over Broke).

This is why I believe our vision is so important. If we don't have a compelling reason why we are spending all this energy, particularly in the early days, we can lose our way. It seems an awful lot easier to just quit than it does to keep going, day in and day out.

So what is a vision?

A vision is your dream. It is your long-term picture of how your business and your pers

ess bring with it. One week you are feeling on top of the world, new clients, some great feedback from a friend, and you just placed that ad you are sure is going to make your business boom. The next week, two of your clients leave, you get a complaint from one of your suppliers and the fantastic ad turns out to be a real fizzle. It's easy to see why we sometimes feel like throwing in the towel and going back to a J.O.B. (Just Over Broke).

This is why I believe our vision is so important. If we don't have a compelling reason why we are spending all this energy, particularly in the early days, we can lose our way. It seems an awful lot easier to just quit than it does to keep going, day in and day out.

So what is a vision?

A vision is your dream. It is your long-term picture of how your business and your pers

and the fantastic ad turns out to be a real fizzle. It's easy to see why we sometimes feel like throwing in the towel and going back to a J.O.B. (Just Over Broke).

This is why I believe our vision is so important. If we don't have a compelling reason why we are spending all this energy, particularly in the early days, we can lose our way. It seems an awful lot easier to just quit than it does to keep going, day in and day out.

So what is a vision?

A vision is your dream. It is your long-term picture of how your business and your pers

ll this energy, particularly in the early days, we can lose our way. It seems an awful lot easier to just quit than it does to keep going, day in and day out.

So what is a vision?

A vision is your dream. It is your long-term picture of how your business and your personal life are going to look like, sound like and feel like. It gives you your why, your “raison de vivre”, your motivation to keep going.

There are many forms a vision can take, and this will depend on what your favourite style is.

* If you are writing it out, it is great to physically write it – not just type it. Add colour to it, underline things, and maybe draw links between things. This gets you physically and intimately in line with your vision.  It stands out for you, and draws you to it.
 * You may like to write a letter to a friend you haven't seen for a while and let her know how your business is doing - as though the year is 2010, or 2015.
 * You could tell a story as if you are writing your memoirs, and this is how your life is right now. Be sure to write it in the present tense, with as much visual description and feeling in it as you can to make it seem very real.
 * It can be pictorial, either your own, or somebody else's. You can represent elements of your vision either with drawings, or through collage.
 * It can be auditory - the sounds of applause, the sounds of cu