Do You Have A Vision?

Vision. It’s a powerful thing.

Having a true vision for something goes above and beyond a simple desire. It’s not just another thing to strive for. It’s not something you want.

It’s something you need. Something that drives you. Something that seems of greater importance than life itself. 

I Didn’t Start With A Vision

I have to be completely honest with you. I did not start with a vision. I did not have goals or dreams or noble reasons for entering into the blogging space.

I was 14 years old when I started blogging for money. Due to my age, I was unable to get any sort of traditional job.

I started blogging for business purposes because I needed money. Without the incentive of money, there is no way I would have stuck with it. There is no way I would’ve been able to push through and eventually find success, and there is no way you’d be here reading this article right now.

Let me tell you, I do not think there is anything inherently wrong with building a business for money. That is after all, the point of a business. You don’t have to feel bad if you don’t have any noble cause or vision.

But there’s a problem.

It’s Been A Hard Day’s Night…

Internet marketing is a tough business for new people. A very tough business. The sad thing is that while there is a light at the end of the tunnel, most people give up before they get there.

Here’s the thing about money. There are lots of ways to get it. None of them are easy, but if the green paper is what you are after, there are far more direct paths to it than entrepreneurship.

Let’s say you didn’t care about anything else in terms of your job, as long as you were making $50,000 a year. You have no college education.

Would blogging or internet marketing be the best choice for you?

Absolutely not.

Of course it’s possible to make $50,000 a year blogging, but there are far better options available. You could get a sales job and be pulling in 50 grand your first year with huge upside potential.

If I didn’t have a vision, I’d probably quit whatever I’m doing today on my businesses and jump into a sales career. But I’m not doing that. Why?

Because the money got me started, but the vision is what keeps me going.

Money As A Motivator

The problem with using money as a motivator is eventually you hit a plateau, and it no longer really brings you much more happiness.

When you are making enough to cover your necessities, you are no pushed to work harder. You become complacent, as if staying where you’re at is OK.

In the vast majority of cases, I have found that when people claim they want money, they are really wanting what they think money will bring them – happiness, freedom, and security.

But with happiness in particular, it’s important to understand that what brings us happiness is constantly changing. When you reach a certain level, money no longer brings you the happiness you crave. Monetarily, you’re satisfied. There is no incentive to grow your business further or take on new challenges. You stop trying new things and the work gets repetitive again.

If you don’t enjoy what you’re doing, suddenly work becomes a chore and you’re still not happy, despite achieving your original goal of making a certain amount of money.

THIS Is Why Entrepreneurship Is Special

Entrepreneurship is special not because it can bring you money, but because it can bring you freedom.

You are at your happiest when you have choices. When you are making more than enough money to cover your expenses, you are given plenty of choices.

Before starting James McAllister Online, I had already found success in a different market. I was doing quite well, and I knew that I could replicate my success quite easily in a similar market. I had the opportunity to go after that, and potentially double or even triple my income at that time.

But I didn’t do it. I started James McAllister Online knowing damn well that this market was extremely competitive, and I would have to put in twice as much work to make half as much money.

I don’t care. I went through with it anyway, because I have the freedom of doing so, and I have a vision so strong for this company that it gives me a sense of purpose that money can’t buy.

I know many people who place their sense of purpose and meaning on something other than money tend to be happier with their job and more motivated to work hard.

I had the pleasure of talking with a leading Realtor in my area this past week. Let me tell you, this woman works 60+ hours a week and never seems to stop. When I asked her what drives her, she told me this:

“The real estate business is feast or famine. When I started out 15 years ago, I was so desperate to make money that I would do whatever it took to get that commission check. Today though, I’m on the other end of the spectrum. I don’t have to go out and find new clients if I don’t want to – but I still want to – not because I need the money, but because I am satisfied with my work. I get to help people through one of the most difficult transitions of their lives, and witness the unique emotional struggle each family goes through, while helping them through it all. Because money is no longer the motivator, I am able to focus all of my energy on helping my client’s become as satisfied as possible. Our goals are aligned, and I have made many lifelong friends in this business.”

This really connected with me, because in a way I have sort of found myself in a similar situation. While we all obviously want to increase our bottom-line as much as possible, once money is no longer the primary driving factor, you can focus your energy and effort on other places.

If I were still chasing money, I would have started another website in some other market and reaped the rewards. I am here because I want to build a business so large that I am able to hire teams of employees and impact millions of lives in big ways.

If I were still chasing money, I wouldn’t be reinvesting a large portion of this website’s profits back into the business and growing it.

If money was all that mattered, I would retire today and never work again.

I will say it again – the money got may get you started, but the vision will keep you going.

Conclusion

To close this out, I want you to ask yourself a very important question – what would you be working on if money were no longer an issue?

Would you hire new employees and develop some killer product? Would you grow and expand?

Would you continue doing what you’re doing now, perhaps donating some of the money to charity?

Or would you simply retire and live off of the money you’ve made?

Figure out what’s really important to you.

And while you’re at it, I’d love it if you’d take some time to share your vision with the rest of us in the comments. Don’t be shy!