Pursue your vision!

Imagine a country that only two decades ago was a failed state, with no working institutions. Imagine that this country had just come through a devastating war that decimated the population, leaving almost a million dead.

And then imagine that today, that same country is fourth in Africa, and by far the leader in the region, when it comes to ease of doing business.

Imagine that this country is the second safest place in the world for women to walk at night.

Imagine that a million people have been pulled out of poverty in just five years, and that health care coverage is almost universal. Imagine that this country has the cleanest capital city in Africa.

Of course, by now, you know I am talking about our East African sibling, Rwanda!

 I had the privilege of visiting Kigali for the first time this last week, and was impressed by the obvious results of focused leadership. While it is clear that this is no utopia, and that there are still numerous thorny issues that the leadership needs to address, even critics agree that what the country has achieved so far has been unprecedented on our continent.

What stood out the most for me is how much has been achieved with so little because of the power of vision.

Vision is the force that enables leaders to turn a negative situation into a positive one. It is what causes followers to believe that they can achieve the impossible. Vision is what moves people from focusing on what they do not have to working with what they do have. It inspires outsiders to contribute their resources and to want to be part of the outcome. It enables people from a diversity of backgrounds to put aside their differences and pull together, resulting in extraordinary results.

As is true for nations, so is it for individuals! Too many of us have allowed ourselves to be limited by our background, our past failures, and what we do not have. ‘If only I was from a rich family’, or ‘if only I had the right education’. What we fail to realise is that no one ever achieved great things without overcoming great difficulties. The challenges we are complaining about may be the very thing that shapes our greatest contribution to the world!

The good book teaches us that ‘without vision, a people perish’. You were not created just to grow up, go to school, get a job, get married, have children and die. There is a particular and unique purpose that you were created to fulfill. And you will not live fully until you discover and pursue that purpose. The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you discover ‘why’.

 Some people are interested only in achieving a comfortable lifestyle. Others are waiting until they are financially stable before they begin to really live. Avoid making these errors. Leaders exist to fulfill a vision; do not delay in pursuing yours.