Every great plan requires a dream, vision or insight. It is these that shape how we make the intangible concrete. A dream, vision or insight are absolutely necessary for progress but they are not all that is needed. You need to survey the landscape, take stock of your resources and establish what tools you need to proceed. These are the building blocks needed to achieve your objective. Having a vision is never enough all by itself. You need to have knowledge of what is required to make it a reality, and then the smarts to actually put all the pieces together
In 1963 Martin Luther King Jr. had a much revered dream. It is a dream that I still hold dear to my heart. However, in 2021 the reality is that I am still not judged by the content of my heart. In fact, I am just as likely to be abused, shot, suffocated, reported as a threat, or considered to be a menace as I am to be greeted “hello”. As it turns out there is a lot more planning and execution required before even the essence of that dream becomes a meaningful part of our lives.
A good idea is nothing but a signpost if there isn’t a great plan to execute it. You can have a great vision but unless you have the stomach to stand the struggle; and the legs to take you on the journey you will see far afield but never quite make it there. The Winklevoss twins might have had the sweet notion of a social network for hooking up with girls but it was Mark Zuckerberg who came up with the blueprint for an exploitative globally dominant billion dollar social media empire.
Great ideas change the way people think but great plans are what alter the course of people’s lives.
