Success isn’t a matter of luck — it starts with a powerful vision. For those who have achieved extraordinary wealth and accomplishment, vision is the catalyst that propels them forward. It’s the ability to look beyond current circumstances and strive for something greater. As many successful individuals often say: “The bigger your vision, the greater your potential for achievement.”
Vision isn’t merely about setting goals; it’s about developing a mindset that opens the door to limitless possibilities and empowers you to take bold steps toward achieving them. Once your vision expands, it never returns to its original size. Imagine it as a container: A cup holds only so much, but transform it into a bucket, and its capacity increases. Expand it further into a bathtub or even a swimming pool, and your potential for achievement grows alongside it.
A larger vision allows room for more dreams, opportunities, and accomplishments to flourish. That’s why before you set specific goals, it’s crucial to first focus on something even more fundamental: expanding your vision.
Insights from successful individuals
Mark Hansen, author of the world bestseller Chicken Soup for the Soul, says that the only way to produce incredible results is to have incredible goals. He also says: “Be careful what you write down, because what you write down has magical powers.” It solidifies your intentions and sets the foundation for transformation.
Tony Robbins, a world-renowned motivational speaker and author, is famous for teaching the importance of setting bold, limitless goals. In one of his classes, Robbins asked his students to write down their goals, urging them to dream without constraints. One young man, struggling financially but deeply passionate about the ocean, wrote down an ambitious goal: “I must own a yacht.” He immediately thought it was a ridiculous dream, one that seemed impossible given his current situation. When he shared this goal with his girlfriend, she laughed and joked: “If you get a yacht, you’ll have to take me out on it!”
A week later, something unbelievable happened. A wealthy relative, who was near death, unexpectedly appeared and told the young man that he would be giving him a yacht as part of his inheritance.
This true story demonstrates the power of setting audacious goals, a concept Robbins teaches to millions of people worldwide. It highlights how life can present opportunities when you dare to dream big, even when it seems impossible.
Robert Kiyosaki, author of Rich Dad Poor Dad, stresses the importance of setting ambitious goals. He argues that small goals, like buying a bicycle, lack the power to inspire passion. It’s the big, meaningful goals that fuel a person to succeed. Without a strong drive and sense of purpose, there’s little motivation to achieve anything significant.
Similarly, Taiwanese billionaire Kuo Taiming offers a powerful insight: “The vision determines the layout, and the layout determines the outcome.” Essentially, the scope of your vision dictates the scale of your actions. You won’t take the necessary steps to achieve big results if you don’t think big. The broader your vision and the more expansive your mindset, the greater the plans you’ll make and the more potential you have to realize them.
Japanese business tycoon Sun Zhengyi began his business while recovering from a serious illness with only two employees by his side. Despite his humble beginnings, he boldly declared that he would become the richest man in the world. When he eventually achieved great success, a reporter asked him what the key to his accomplishments was. He replied: “At the beginning, all I had was a dream and unfounded confidence, but it all started from there.” His unwavering self-belief and bold vision were the driving forces behind his rise to become one of the wealthiest individuals in all of Asia.
Donald Trump, initially a real estate mogul following in his father’s footsteps, had a vision that went far beyond the local scale. His father, who built houses in Queens neighborhoods like Woodhaven and Jamaica, operated with what he called a “lower-middle-class philosophy” of buying homes. He warned Trump that, without status or connections, it would be difficult for him to succeed in the competitive world of New York real estate.
However, Trump had a different mindset — he chose to “think big.” Less than a year later, he had become the owner of more real estate than anyone else in New York, and his name was known across the city. Trump’s journey serves as a reminder that thinking beyond current limitations can lead to extraordinary success.
How to think big
To start thinking big, the first step is to focus on your goals. In our daily lives, we are bombarded with so many thoughts that our brains process hundreds of pieces of information every second. This leads to a system known as the “neurological automatic elimination system,” which helps us filter out things we’ve never consciously decided to pay attention to. Essentially, if you haven’t decided to focus on something, your brain automatically disregards it.
For example, if you’ve never considered buying a Mercedes Benz, your brain won’t register it when one passes by. This filtering system is important because it means that your brain won’t prioritize it unless you consciously choose to pay attention to something.
A key to thinking big is to turn on the sensory switch for what you want to achieve. By making conscious decisions about what to focus on, you allow your brain to seek opportunities related to your goals. When something matters to you, your brain will begin to see it everywhere, helping you take actionable steps toward making it a reality.
Another crucial step to thinking big is to build your self-confidence. Without confidence, it’s hard to achieve your goals. Fortunately, there are two key ways to build confidence.
First, believe in yourself, even before you see results. Many people make the mistake of waiting for confidence to come before they take action. This leads to stagnation, since they never take that first step. Confidence isn’t something that arrives when you feel ready; it’s something you create by stepping forward, taking action, and learning as you go. When you take that initial step, your confidence grows through experience and progress.
Next, equip yourself with knowledge. Self-confidence also grows when you understand that others have faced similar struggles and succeeded. Learning about people who overcame adversity and achieved their goals shows you that success is possible, even when circumstances seem tough. This knowledge not only strengthens your belief in your own potential, but also broadens your perspective, giving you the confidence to dream bigger and set higher goals.
The path to extraordinary success is driven by a powerful vision that pushes boundaries and defies limitations. As demonstrated by the stories of influential figures, it’s not just about setting goals, but expanding your mindset to embrace greater possibilities. By aligning your thoughts with your goals and backing them with action, confidence, and knowledge, you unlock the potential to achieve remarkable feats. Ultimately, the scope of your vision determines the extent of your success — think bigger, and the opportunities and accomplishments that follow will be just as expansive.
Translated by Audrey
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