I have chosen as a title for this entry a quote from Joel Arthur Barker, whom I admire since I was in college, which is very relevant to the first two attibutes of an Attitude-E: Envision and Energy.

What does a company, a product, a service, a good theater play, a song, a great dancer, a sculpture, an olympic athlete, a unique architectural work, a board game, a family or a philanthopic cause have in common?

All, without exception, are the product of an entrepreneurial process that originated in an idea. In an objective, a purpose, a vision. All are the product of someone's imagination which enabled them to visualize something.

I have already mentioned in other entries that the entrepreneurial process goes well beyond the creation of companies. All of what we pursue in our lives is an entrepreneurial endeavor. Choosing a career, having a hobby, reading a book, writing a poem or working out -among others- are vivid examples of entrepreneurship in action. Think about them for a minute and realize that all initiate with an idea, or a vision.

The problem arises when we acknowledge that we only pursue and fulfill a small subset of all the ideas and objectives that we accumulate along our lives. "You will fail 100% of the shots you don't shoot" is a saying that I use in my presentations which I think is very accurate. We have a huge backlog of plans and dreams in our minds and souls, but the truth is that most of them are like arrows in a stretched  bow that we never let go. Henceforth, we reach the end of our lives with thousands of unrealized plans and dreams.

This applies to all of our life dimensions. In the personal dimension, we all have in our plans to learn a new language, or how to play a musical instrument, climb certain mountain or run a marathon. However few people achieve them. in our family dimension, thousands of troubled couples want to fix their relationships, but only few take the first step to do so -most of the times pride blocks it - ; or the parents of a troubled son or daughter [ie. with a learning or eating disorder] that because of fear are unable to confront reality and act. In our professional dimension, we all have ideas on how to better perform at work, but we fear to share them with our teams, we all have plans to increase sales, but we don't execute them. Finally we all have the opportunity to help those in need but we hardly do so. In general terms, we have an idea-execution gap. A gap that can only disappear when we have an Attitude-E.

My conclusion is that this is not an issue of ideas or plans. We all have them in great quantities. The real issue here is about Envision and Energy. Once we have an idea, we must envision it, focus on it and visualize it realized and then apply energy to it so that we can evolve from plan to action. "If you are going to fail, fail fast and go on" but don't hold your dreams for fear of failing. As Mark Twain stated "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowline. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover"

Applying energy to an initiative is working on it with enthusiasm and passion. If we really want to run the Chicago Marathon we have to go out and train with discipline. If we really want to learn how to play the trumpet, we must find the right teacher, call her, and schedule the first session. If we really want to save our marriage we must overcome our pride and give the first step. And this applies to all of what we pursue in our daily lives. We have to let go the arrow in our bow, because if we don't do it, as Barker states, it will only be a dream. On the other hand, a vision with action [Envision + Energy] can change the world.  

So it's all in your hands. Work hard to pursue your dreams and you will certainly change the world. Your world, your family's, your work's and the world around us that is in so much need!!!