There’s something that happens when someone starts talking about vision. People tune out. This I can understand. Talking about one’s vision is…well…starting to get boring. I mean, how many times can you be told to set S.M.A.R.T. goals, break your large projects down into chunks or think about your future or raison d’etre without wanting to vomit?

I assure you that this brief article is not about creating a vision – or anything of the sort. This article is all about the manner in which you want to be used.

I don’t know who said this but, everytime I hear it, it strikes me to my core, “People who don’t have a plan are used by people who do.” It’s one of my favorite quotes. It’s a tough pill to swallow but, when you think about it, it’s absolutely true.

How many times have you sat down to work on a project and ended up checking email for an hour? News flash! Because you weren’t committed to your plan, you were “used” by the people who sent you email. You started to work on their schedule, not yours. How many times have you vowed to get serious about going to the gym only to be sidetracked by your husband or family’s needs? You were just “used” by your family. (Save the but-my-family-is-important-to-me email, please.) How often have you sat down to watch your favorite program only to have hours pass with your task list untouched? You were just “used” by primetime TV.

We’ve all been in one of the above situations – yes, even moi. Call it your plan, action list, goals, objectives or whatever you want to call it but, it all comes down to one word: vision. Your vision of yourself, your work, your life. If your vision is not crystal clear to you, you’ll be forever distracted by email, family and TV. Forever used by people who DO have a plan.

Keep in mind that other people’s plans – you know, the distracting ones? – needn’t be grandiose, lofty plans. It could be that someone wants dinner or someone wants ratings during sweeps week or someone wants their email to be read. But, if they aren’t YOUR plans, you’re being used. Plain and simple.

That’s not to say that checking email, tending to your family or watching TV can’t be in your plans. Au contraire! I plan to watch or TiVo Oprah almost on a daily basis! But, it’s MY plan. MY vision. Oprah’s not “using” me because I’ve worked her into my plan, my vision of what my day shapes up to be.

You see (pun intended), having vision is not like having sight. Someone can be partially blind or totally blind to varying degrees. However, when it comes to having a vision, there’s no such animal as a partial vision – you’re either being used or you’re not. You either got it or you don’t.