One of the great approaches to successful living and reducing stress is to develop positive visions.
For example, suppose I lay a plank on the ground. Almost anyone can easily walk on the plank from one end to the other. But if I were to raise the plank 10 feet off the ground, how many people do you think would get across it without falling? I would guess quite a few people would fall off the plank.
Why can people walk the plank when it’s on the ground but not while it’s elevated? A prime reason is that when the plank is on the ground, people imagine success. They vision that they can accomplish the task. Off the ground, there is a tendency to question the success of the endeavor.
Your vision is vital. What you think, what you picture, what you imagine is to a large degree your reality—just like the eagle who thought he was a chicken. As the story goes, a young boy found an eagle’s nest while climbing in the mountains around his father’s farm. He removed an egg from the nest and placed it under a hen back at the farm. The egg hatched along with the other eggs. All his young life the eagle was raised among chickens. Knowing no better, he came to see himself as a chicken.
Then one day an adult eagle flew over the chicken coop. As the young one watched this great magnificent eagle fly higher and higher, the thought came to him that he too would like to soar high. With a burst of inspiration, the young eagle flew to the top of the chicken coop. From there he soared to the top of a low hillside. As his confidence grew, he soared higher and higher.
Now think of walking on the plank again—and see how your vision can affect your success and stress in the endeavor.
Tip: Your vision affects your success and stress.
