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A couple of times a year I scan my personal library and pick out books I read years ago to re-read them. Recently, Peter Senge’s business masterpiece, The Fifth Discipline, caught my eye. What stood out was a quote by Robert Fritz. “It’s not what a vision is,” Fritz said, “it is what a vision does.”

Those words are deeper and more powerful than they might seem.

What does your vision for the future actually do? Does it fire you up? Does it give you energy or make you smile? When you’re exhausted does it help you go that extra mile?

A vision should be based upon the criteria of power and effectiveness. The interesting thing is that Fritz is a former musician who took basic principles of creativity in music and applied them to creating successful lives. His premise is that life gets good when we get a clear picture of what we want to create, when we create our vision.

I agree. Having vision helps you to design a life with purpose and intention. If you know what you want, then each day you can make decisions about how you spend your time, what you do, and whom you do it with. Everything you choose to do becomes an opportunity to evaluate whether it’s productive or destructive, whether it brings you closer to what you want.

Will this thing you’re about to do enhance your knowledge base in some way? Is it a positive interaction that is adding to your life, or does this person detract from your goal? Are you gaining something, or is it merely a distraction? Is what you are doing moving you toward your dream, or is it moving you away from achieving your dream?

Without vision, it’s harder to ask these questions. If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will get you there. But if you know where you want to end up, then you can be careful which road you choose, and make choices each day that move you closer to achieving what you want, and avoid going down paths that will waste your time and energy.

It’s easy to be distracted by day-to-day minutia. Vision keeps your eye on the horizon so you don’t get too immersed in simply caring for the ship. Too many people get caught up in simply running in the cage, like the mouse on a wheel. You’re spinning your wheels dealing with whatever is in front of you and not looking where you are going.

Creating what you want in life takes more than just vision. It also requires 1) working to transform yourself from within so you can achieve more in your life; 2) creating a new environment in order to help you create and sustain your success; and 3) taking purposeful and persistent action. It takes time to travel the distance required to create what you want. The journey itself is your life, and when you move forward with vision and purpose you achieve the results you want. If you’re fortunate you’ll enjoy yourself along the way. If your vision isn’t getting you up in the morning, then make up another one.

At 225, our vision for a great city is what keeps us going every month. We see a Baton Rouge where people apply their energy toward making ours a more informed, efficient, effective, enjoyable place to live and play. We see a city that embraces rather than recoils from change, and where people of all different backgrounds share their ideas and views, with results helping the entire city.

Remember, it doesn’t matter what your vision is or if it changes.

It only matters that you have a vision because the moment you do, it gives you traction. Before you know it, you just might realize it completely!

A new tradition

The weekend of April 15 means tax day, but 225 magazine is making it something to look forward to, thanks to a new tradition for the Capital City. We are proud to bring you the premiere of Sunday in the Park, a series of free outdoor concerts under the oaks of Lafayette Park on Lafayette Street, next to Shaw Center.

Lil Ray Neal and his band will kick things off at 11 a.m. April 15, belting out the blues (appropriate for tax day!) until 2 p.m. Then, for the next four Sundays, other jazz, gospel and blues artists will perform on the outdoor stage. You’re invited to enjoy brunch at Capital City Grill or to pack a lunch and bring your lawn chairs for a picnic.

On the second Sunday, April 22, Earth Day will be going on; and on the final Sunday, May 6, our stage will serve as the jazz stage for Fest-for-All. The Andy Pizzo Project will start a day of jazz at 11 a.m.

Invite your friends or bring the whole family and enjoy a new tradition. And, like the magazine you’re reading, the concert is free. Join us for a new Baton Rouge tradition!