How self-made billionaires make their visions reality—and how you can, too

ILLUSTRATION BY ALBERT RODRIGUEZ

If there is one main thing I have learned from working with, advising and coaching some of the world’s most successful business leaders, it is that all of them have a very clear vision of where they want to go.

In sales, there is a saying that a “confused mind” does not buy. The same can be said about life and in business: if we cannot clearly define our destination and the ideal life that we want to create for ourselves and our business, we will fall short of ever reaching our full potential.

Clarity breeds success. It is impossible to hit a target you cannot see, yet most people try to do exactly that.

Define your destination

Unless you clearly define what your ideal life should look like, in all aspects—from your professional success to health and fitness, happiness, time with friends and family, your spiritual development, and anything else that might be important to you—you will invariably live up to someone else’s expectation of your life.

In doing so, you have to balance the art of achievement with the art of fulfillment. You have to balance professional success with what makes you happy and gives you a true sense of fulfillment and purpose.

The rocking chair test

Steve Jobs made a great comment when he said: “Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life.” Imagine you are at the end of your life looking back on a life well-lived. What would that ideal life look like in all of its aspects?

I recently sat down with the owner and chair of a large family conglomerate. He had approached us to develop a strategic road map for his business group and also for his personal life for the next 10 years.

When doing his personal road map, he realized that he only wanted to continue his current position for another five to seven years and then focus more on his family and other passions that he had neglected. This gave him and the business focus because it became clear that we had to develop the right succession plan to future-proof the group.

The most important deal you will ever make

Lately, I had the pleasure to coach and advise the German CEO of one of the fastest-growing e-commerce and software companies in Europe.

He told me in confidence: “I actually find business extremely boring and have no real interest in what I am doing now. However, my vision is to make a major philanthropic contribution to the world that can inspire people to lead a life filled with more passion, determination and purpose.”

He came to the conclusion that he needed to amass a considerable fortune to leave the kind of imprint on humanity he was envisioning. To accomplish his long-term vision, he realized that he had to make a very clear deal with himself to keep 100-percent single focus on growing his business to a point where he could sell it and exit with a large payday. At the time of this writing, his company has the growth potential to reach over a billion-dollar valuation.

It takes tremendous willpower to succeed in something you have zero interest in. He is only able to accomplish this because he made a very clear deal with himself and had a 100 percent alignment with what he wants his ideal life to look like 10 years from now.

The road map to your ideal life

Take a pen and a piece of paper. Set aside 20 minutes without any disturbance. Adopt the mindset of the title of my last book “Nothing is impossible.”

Write down as much as you can what your ideal life would look like 10, 15 or 20 years from now.

What if you cannot see everything? Think of it as pieces of a puzzle. You will have to go back regularly to put all the pieces together.

Don’t become a bonsai tree

How often have you heard the phrase “you cannot have what you want” or “be realistic” or “don’t set yourself up for disappointment?”

Young children know exactly what they want and have no problem articulating it. Yet, as we grow up, we lose that sense because most cultures try to transform us into little bonsai trees. Almost any tree or shrub can be turned into a bonsai if you prune the roots and the foliage. In the same manner, you can make sure that any individual will fall short of true potential by consistently dampening any efforts of development, natural talents, visions, inclinations, dreams and ambitious goals.

Are you a ‘reader’ or a ‘listener’?

A reader learns better by absorbing information in written form such as reading books, while a listener learns better by absorbing information verbally like listening to podcasts and lectures.

If you are a “reader,” read your description of what your ideal future life should look like in the morning after you wake up and before you go to sleep. If you are a “listener,” record it on your smartphone and play it back during those times.

Solutions and next steps

1. Set aside 10 minutes during which you will be undisturbed.

2. Do the “rocking chair” test.

3. Set aside another 20 minutes during which you will be undisturbed.

4. Adopt a “nothing is impossible” mindset. Write down what your ideal life will look like 10, 15 or 20 years from now.

5. Read or listen to this ideal vision of your life every morning after you get up and every evening before you go to sleep. INQ

Tom Oliver, a “global management guru” (Bloomberg), is the chair of The Tom Oliver Group, the trusted advisor and counselor to many of the world’s most influential family businesses, medium-sized enterprises, market leaders and global conglomerates. For more information and inquiries: www.TomOliverGroup.com or email

[email protected].