The Art of Self-Dialogue: Articulating Your Vision to Yourself First

In my almost 41 year journey through life, I’ve met many successful people (not just financially successful people). A common thread among them is not just their capacity to express their vision to the rest of the world but also, I’ve realized (most importantly), to themselves. This insight has hit home for me as I ponder on my own journey and the lessons I’ve gained along the way. 

For years, my ‘why’ was only a feeling – an intuition that directed me. It was a constant companion who I was never able to properly articulate in words. Even in the privacy of my own thoughts, I recognized that although I could sense my vision, I struggled to put it into words. It was like having an idea for a masterpiece but not understanding how to paint it. To be clear, my ‘why’ is still an intuition at its base, but I am fast learning how to express that emotion into a strategy and a narrative that I can share. 

This past inability to communicate my objectives to myself became a barrier, an invisible wall that restricted my desires to the domain of emotions. I realized that if I couldn’t describe my vision to myself, how could I express it to others? How might I manage a team or instill trust among investors? 

So I’ve gone on a voyage of self-dialogue, attempting to convert my emotions into a language that I can comprehend and then communicate. It entails reflection, jotting down ideas, and continually improving them. Learning to tell my own tale, to be both the creator and reader of my business script. That is, in fact, my life script. 

The more I practice talking to myself about my vision, the clearer it gets. It’s no longer a hazy sense; instead, a solid strategy with purpose and direction is taking shape, and that’s really exciting. This clarity instilled a new degree of confidence and conviction in both my internal discourse and my interactions with the outside world. I wish someone had informed me about this sooner, but I doubt I would have comprehended without passing through the crucible. 

I want to detect a ripple effect as I improve my self-articulation skills. I hope for more team alignment, I hope for my pitches to more compelling, and my decisions more focused. By giving voice to my vision, I am bringing it to life. Such a simple concept to have escaped me through the years. 

Can you express your vision to yourself? Can you explain your ‘why’ in clear, convincing words, not only to others but also to yourself? The process of defining your idea to yourself is the first step toward making it a reality. Note: It does not have to be an entrepreneurial vision of course. This applies to anything.