Finding the words to express a unique vision in a compelling and engaging way is one of the biggest challenges conscious business people face. It’s challenging because visions are not born in words—they are born in emotion and feeling, which is why we call them “visions.” And yet, transforming a vision into a product, service or business requires us to translate from the realm of feeling and sensation into language and tangible attributes.
Why is this important?
It’s important, in particular for conscious businesses because they serve a purpose that is deeper and more meaningful than merely making money. And . . . because they tend to serve conscious consumers and other conscious businesses, which means that as a conscious business we need to communicate our vision in such a way that speaks to the hearts of those we seek to serve, not merely their minds.
It’s a little like translating from one language to another. For example, if you’ve ever used Google Translate and showed the results to someone who really knows the language you’re translating into, they will most likely find it amusing at a minimum. That’s because there is a lot of culture intertwined in language, which means that literal translations do not always work.
Similar to translating visions into words. The raw emotions we feel around a vision can seem so ephemeral that we struggle to pin it down into words that make sense and convey the same or similar feeling to the reader.
Step One — Start by Journaling
One of the most effective remedies we’ve used is to journal around the vision. To simply write the WHAT of a vision at the top of a page and then free-form journal by hand for at least twenty minutes on the feelings you have around the WHAT.
Step Two — Set Your Work Aside
A second and equally important remedy, is to do your journaling and then set it aside for several days and intentionally not think about it. Then come back to it with fresh eyes, re-read what you wrote and then journal again. Keep doing this for a week or more, and as you continue with this process, you will start to see connecting threads running through your writing.
Step Three — Find the Connecting Threads
Step three is to collect the “connecting threads” on a separate document and then rank them by clarity and impact. Then set this document aside for several days to a week and come back to it again with fresh eyes and revise some more.
There is something mysterious, and yet not unscientific about setting creative work aside and revisiting it, which is that it gives your subconscious mind a chance to work on it while you sleep, while you work, while you eat, without all the judgements and engrained belief systems of your conscious mind that affects your creativity.
The connecting threads are the pieces that speak to the core of what your vision is truly about, and from these threads you will have the concise and powerful language to convey your vision.
Conclusion
Journaling about your vision, setting your work aside and revisiting it and beginning again, and then searching for and identifying the connecting threads is a powerful way of finding the words to express your unique vision.
Most importantly, if you’re bringing a valuable and meaningful product, service or idea to the world, then there are a great many people who will want to know about it. But not just about the WHAT, they will want to know what your vision is, because those who care about your work will connect with it more readily when they can relate to, and even share your vision.
Doing meaningful work is exciting and even exhilarating. It’s also challenging because it requires of us to show up in a deeper way, to go deeper into our visions, to search for the words, to massage and craft the words until they connect in a visceral way with those we seek to serve.
When we find the words to express our unique vision, we will find meaningful connection and a realization of our vision into the tangible.