The architect's design

Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, lived a man who decided to build a house. He went out and collected wheelbarrows full of stones to make his house. When he had collected all the stone he needed, he started building the house.

This man laboured day and night, but the house was never finished… he changed his plans frequently, walls fell down as soon as they were built, the windows wouldn’t fit, he even forgot to leave enough space for the front door…

The problem was, he had never stopped to imagine what kind of house he would like to create. He had no vision, no design to guide his actions...

I have a tendency to go through life like this builder. I have an impulse and I go with it. I don’t take the time to really create a vision of the metaphorical home I choose to build, of where the windows and doors will go, of where the sunlight can enter most brightly…

I just do. I forget the importance of thinking, or more accurately, of visioning what I would like to create.

How will I ever know I’ve created something if I don’t have any idea what I’m working towards?

How will I ever know what works and what doesn’t work?

Starting with a vision is such a fundamental, self-evident foundation stone that I overlook it frequently. Simple isn’t easy! I’m not talking about a step by step plan, but taking the time to clarify what I choose to create in my life, the experiences I wish to have, the connections I wish to make with others, the depths I wish to reach in my relationship with Dirk.

Plans can be inflexible. But visions, they can adapt and change while still proving a guiding light, drawing us to what we choose to create.

Visions are our thought-anchors: they give us a centre, a focus. They help us make decisions and move towards living the life of our dreams. They inspire us, they raise our thoughts out of murky waters of fear and self-doubt, they guide us towards our dreams. They even provide us food for thought, because we start to daydream about our visions, our life designs… and then, lo and behold, we suddenly get insights into how to create these visions, how to move them on to the next phase.

Without a vision, I simply react to life as it bumps into me. I have no centre, no anchor. With a vision, I find a focus for my thoughts, my decisions, my actions and reactions. I can respond with a sense of knowing, with a deep, vibrant sense of creation and possibility.