Having a visionary gift doesn’t always give you the most straightforward path to walk.
I took a test on Facebook a couple of years ago. It was a silly, time-killing test.
The topic was, “Which career should you really be in?”
I’d already seen a friend’s result, which was “journalist/writer.” And I thought — “Oh yeah, that will definitely be me as well.”
Despite feeling like I already knew the outcome in advance, I took the test.
And I when I finished, I saw something different than I’d expected:
“Engineer.”
Despite my track record as a liberal arts type person… Something about the Engineer moniker deeply resonated with me…
Architecture and Engineering in Online Business
Fast-forward to today and — I’ve become aware of a tendency of mine towards systems-thinking.
And I’m starting to see the practical applications in my work.
Example: When putting together the content of a website, the site architecture — or how all of the parts link together – has to be top of mind.
And as I’m moving more and more into the world of content marketing and online business…I see how it’s not enough to just blast the world with your passion.
Instead, you have to also – have a strategy.
And strategy takes vision.
The kind of vision that keeps you moving on course through reality requires structure.
And structure, if it’s complex enough, can appear in the mind’s eye like a kind of architectural or engineering diagram.
Moving from Vision to Implementation
There’s an inherent joy and satisfaction in “seeing.” In seeing the big picture.
In feeling oneself a visionary.
However for some of us implementation of the vision is a major challenge.
Much of my own life’s work has been to find the practical applications of an “inner gift” that’s fairly abstract…
I can say that this has gotten easier as I’ve matured. I’ve willed myself over the years to become more and more grounded.
I think one of the reasons the idea of website development has never left me is because — it’s an opportunity to put my architectural sensibility into implementation.
Implementing something in the informational context of the computer and internet… Feels like one step away from implementing something directly from your mind.
The computer is so much like a human brain , after all.
But creating anything still takes action.
The Visionary Librarian
Another result I’ve gotten from test taking over the years came from the CliftonStrengths Assessment.
In addition to Responsibility and Empathy (kind of – bedrock stuff) — my other top strengths were: Input, Intellection, and Individuation.
The Input strength struck me as especially accurate.
This one amounts to “collecting things” — and in my case, it was so obvious that what I collect is by and large information, to fit into my architectural puzzle.
When I was younger I often read books like The Glass Bead Game and books about the Heisenberg principle in physics. I was also an angsty film and philosophy major for my first years of college.
What I was after back then was no less than — a model of reality, shaped and held in my mind. One that was as comprehensive as possible, one that explained the interconnections between nearly everything…
Fortunately, I’ve mellowed out, emotionally healed, and simplified in the decades since then.
And in recent years I have come to see myself as more of – a kind of Librarian.
Which is a position in society… without a lot of glamor or ego. Ha.
I see myself now as kind of a humble, salt-and pepper nerd at the service of humankind.
One who’s spent an inordinate amount of time collecting cataloging information… And who’s now offering it up for the benefit of humanity.
So far, the best ways I’ve found to utilize this information, or to offer it in service is to —
1) Create a content site (this one)
2) Offer my services as a copywriter and content writer
3) Offer some coaching where I can mete out very select, key, targeted pieces of information to individuals on a need-to-know basis. (perhaps where my Individuation strength comes in)
The Visionary Gift Is An Excellent Servant
So, the visionary gift brought us together here. But that’s only because I moved past dreaming and – got determined.
I got bored with just dreaming and I got hungry for making things happen!
I moved from right brain into left brain and willed myself to make a plan and take action.
The visionary gift is an excellent servant but a poor master.
If this gift’s also present in you – celebrate yourself! It’s a wonderful ability to have.
But also remember YOU are not this gift – this gift is IN you.
To stay in balance, you should always step back into your deepest center and balance the dreaming with action.
For most posts on the path of the visionary entrepreneur – take action and sign up for my email list right now!
Melanie
