VISION OF SUCCESS
Prof.Dr. Abdurrahman TANRIOGEN “The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision."
— Helen Keller.
There is a reciprocal relationship between success and living a happy and qualified life. Success is the key to a happy life, and a happy life is also a factor in achieving success. Like happiness, success can be defined as reaching a predetermined goal through an effective process of actions. The scope of success expands and becomes more complex-from individuals to groups, organizations, governments, and systems.
Being successful-that is, achieving one's goals-is one of the paths to happiness for all individuals living in this society. In order to reach a happier life and a more fulfilling career, it is necessary to discover the ways to succeed and walk those paths with confident steps.
In the thousands of personal development books available, various methods and strategies are suggested and explained to help individuals achieve success. It is impossible to list all these methods and strategies here. However, at the starting point of all processes that lead people to success lies a significant force: “a vision of success”.
If you want to be successful-and consequently lead a happy life-the first thing you must do is develop a vision of success.
Although there are many different definitions of vision, the common point in all of them is that vision represents a long-term goal or a set of goals. One definition poetically describes vision as “seeing the masterpiece while you are mixing the paints.’.” Vision is like a compass; it is the advance planning of the steps people will take in life.
Vision enables people to focus on their goals and commit to them. However, creating a vision alone is not enough. Even if you develop the most beautiful vision in the world, it means nothing if you cannot turn it into reality. As a Japanese proverb emphasizes: "A vision without action is a dream; action without vision is a nightmare."
It is essential to put your vision of success into practice step by step. Think deeply about what you truly desire and set goals for yourself. Focusing on the goal you have defined in your vision-and not losing sight of it-will empower the efforts you make in line with that vision.
Since vision involves long-term goals, reaching those goals all at once is not always possible. Breaking long-term goals into smaller, short-term sub-goals and achieving them step by step is a more rational approach. Remember: you cannot eat a whale all at once, but a person can consume several elephants' worth of meat over a lifetime.
Turning vision into reality is one of the key indicators of success. However, this vision should not be a copy of someone else's-it must be shaped by your own expectations, needs, and personal philosophy of life.