If everybody did exactly what you said

Being a visionary has more to do with our mindset than anything.

Having studied and written about this topic extensively, and having worked with and for a few visionaries myself, something that’s helpful is to think about it as a checklist. Not for the purposes of ticking every box, but because it can be inspiring to view the entire spectrum of behaviors that define this archetype.

Think about the degree to which your mindset parallels these traits:

Are you utterly indifferent to the opinions of anyone else?

Are you willing to, at least for a while, do everything yourself?

Do you avoid relying on the feedback of others to define your own views?

Will you refuse to accept automatically received truths?

Will you work for your own rewards and satisfaction in your own unbending terms?

Do you refuse to subjugate your rebellious spirit to the whims of institutional and cultural gravity?

Are you willing to make meaning from within the sphere of your own individual existence?

Do you make a complete effort anyway, even when the odds are stacked against you and most people won’t even notice anyway?

Will you courageously stick with your crazy idea, even if you look like an idiot and risk alienating those who don’t understand?

Now, these attributes aren’t the exclusive pieces to building a visionary mindset. If none of them resonated with you, it doesn’t mean you lack vision.

Just know that as a visionary, you should be able to see, smell, taste and feel what the world will look like when you bring that vision to life.

My mentor’s favorite question comes to mind, which has been critical to my own vision throughout my life:

If everybody did exactly what you said, what would the world look like?

This question is profound not only because it forces you to envision the future, but it also because it’s an apparatus of accountability in the present.

Whatever it is that you’re trying to create, this question reminds you to keep giving yourself and others the tools you need to build that world.

If selling a small vision and selling a big one take the same amount of energy, why not go big?