My Powerision

We are inborn visionaries. Tomorrow I have a meeting at work where I will get a chance to communicate my ideas about the current state of our product. In a week I have a test in finance. Today, in fact right before I started writing this post, I was jotting down my thoughts and suggestions for tomorrows meeting, and at lunch I went through a chapter in my finance book. However, it takes a little more than planning one day ahead to make life-altering dreams a reality. One week doesn’t cut it either. Our life’s challenge lies with having a long-term vision and a continuously evolving plan to realize it. To summarize everything above and stop myself from verbalizing any more redundancy I'll quote Joel Barker, the mastermind behind The Power of Vision.

“Vision without action is just a dream. Action without vision merely wastes time. Vision with action can make things happen!”



My current vision is a vague compilation of ideas, wants and aspirations. Let’s turn that around!

Vision # 1: Roughly 4 years from now I will have a Masters degree in Finance & Investments from one of the top business schools in NYC (Columbia, NYU Stern).
Actions Taken: To accomplish this goal I’m working towards a Bachelors degree in Finance at Baruch and pulling my GPA upward. I’m also working as a full-time analyst, and refining myself and my knowledge of finance through spiral working experiences.

Vision # 2: By the end of my senior year I will take time off to study or work in Europe, preferably in London or Milan. I will also travel through the rest of Europe, as well as Asia and South America.
Actions Taken: To realize this vision of mine I’ve curtailed my expenses and kept in close contact with my international friends.

Vision # 3: In a year and a half or by the time I finish my senior year at Baruch, I’m planning to be employed by a major firm in the Financial Services sector as an analyst. Goldman Sachs or Morgan Stanley will do just fine.
Actions Taken: To bring about this change I’m building and sustaining a network of professionals and studying for the CFA exam.

Vision # 4: 3 years from now I will invest into a shack/condo close to NYC in New Jersey or Staten Island in order to move out of my parent’s house.
Actions Taken: I have begun investing into the stock market to increase the value of my savings. I have also done some preliminary research about locations and the housing market, and shared my idea with a friend willing to take part in this endeavor.

Vision # 5: 1 year from now I will enter and win the Baruch College Entrepreneurship Competition.
Actions Taken: To win the BCEC next year I’m presently learning from the mistakes I made during this year’s competition. My team and I has began work on a new concept and a new approach to captivate next year’s judges.

I was skeptical about expounding my goals for the future when I began writing this post. Now that I have finished, my 5 year “vision” is still hazy and incomplete. Nonetheless, the fact that I spent 20 minutes pondering over my long term goals has brought me a new kind of awareness. I’m conscious of the fact that I need a set of explicit long term goals to “make things happen!”