By Stephen Garber

 

What you see is what you get – and what you get is what you see. And, there really is nothing, not one thing, that we all see the same way. In fact, the way you see it is just that: the way you see it. It’s not right. It’s not wrong. It’s just what you see.

 

If you want to change your results – at work, at home, in your life – then you need to understand what you are seeing is yours. It’s not the truth. It’s your truth. One person’s failure is another person’s growth opportunity. One person’s insult is another person’s constructive feedback.

 

Truly, what you see will determine what you get. When you see something in your mind, it will influence your mood, your thoughts, your emotions – and your communications and actions.

 

Here’s what’s even more powerful to consider: We each impute the value of everything in our lives onto those people, things and events. When we see something, we think something, and then we assign value to it. Based on those thoughts and values, we act. And our actions get our results.

 

Research tells us that the greatest leaders invariably have great vision. They see their future in positive terms, and very specifically. They “know” what the end result will look like. Of course, they fail from time to time. But, on the whole, they succeed much more than they fail – and usually on a grander scale.

 

Richard Branson’s Virgin is absolutely massive: trains, planes, music and more. It’s said that he’s started no fewer than eight billion-dollar companies.

 

He has also failed miserably. His first business was a student magazine. It failed. But it led to Virgin Music. Branson saw the positive result in his mind, and simply adjusted tactics until the success was real. Very real. Many billions real.

Yes, he blew a ton of money on Virgin Cola. Just as Steve Jobs struggled with the original Macintosh. Yet they both changed their industries and created phenomenal wealth for millions of people. Failure was a teacher, not something that clouded their belief and their vision.

 

If you see and believe your business is great, it likely will be. If you don’t believe it, you’ll be right. If you see and believe your people are great – and can stretch to the next level of performance – they will invariably surprise you in a good way. If you don’t trust, empower and believe in them, you’ll be right. They will likely let you down.

 

What you see is what you get. What do you see? What do you believe? How sure are you?

 

No one can answer those questions for you. You can. YOU can make your future great ­– even greater than it already is.

 

Steve Garber is director of Third Level Ltd. Contact him at 561.752.5505 or sgarber@thirdlevel.com.