"Holes in your Vision"

For purposes of this discussion, a vision is a mental image that forms in response to the question, “What would the ideal (…xxx…) look like?” Creating a vision from scratch is much like driving a wedge out into space and prying open a vacuum.

A vision’s guiding and motivating power is derived from the strength and definition of that vacuum, the creation of which, in turn, requires an enormous amount of creative energy.

A vision can thus be described as a big empty “hole,” the edges of which are the “knowns” that will ultimately shape and define the “substance” that is drawn from the universe by the vacuum of the “unknown” to fill the “hole.” Thus, the true value of a vision lies in the “holes” it defines, as these “holes” are thus enabled to reside in the intuition where they proceed to define the “questions” or “invitations” that are issued to the universe for it to bring forth the perfect ingredients to fill the hole.

A vision is thus a repository for “holes” that serve as the activating mechanisms for creation.

The energies around a “hole” in a vision are so powerful that they are frequently misinterpreted to be a source of pain—which non- visionaries will run from as if it was the plague.

Visionaries will immediately recognize that the “holes” are excellent predictors for where the next “Eureka!” will occur and takes steps to be close by for refueling when it takes place.

“Holes” are therefore such an essential part of a vision that when they all get filled in, the vision will have calcified into a theory and is no longer useful.

If you are one, you will want to take note of the unique way in which visionaries view a “hole” in their vision—as a magnificent space that’s begging for better definition, right? Without careful coaching, however, lots of people around you will view this same “hole” as a potential source of pain that must be anesthetized and removed immediately to stop the pain.

If you are not a visionary, but happen to work with one, you might find it useful to learn how artists view “negative space.” This is because, while visionaries often use “negative” words in speaking, it’s never done to find who’s to blame for something that has gone wrong! Instead, it’s part of their instinctive guidance mechanism for locating and encouraging the next “Eureka!”

Whenever you can help a visionary to further define the nature of a “hole” in their vision, you both move closer to the next “Eureka!”

Kurt Wright, author of Breaking the Rules says: There's an old saying that we teach what we need to learn. My career has been one of teaching people how to bring out the best in themselves and others. This focus of attention grew out of a decision made in 1970 to spend the rest of my life seeking to understand what each of us is like at our very best. I observed that there were far too many studies of what is wrong with people and too few about what is right with people. Breaking the Rules thus summarizes the findings from this 33-year study of what each of us is like when we are at our very best, and how to be that way more often.

During the study it became clear that people who operate at their best most of the time didn't learn to do so by looking outside themselves for answers. For this reason, I resisted the idea of writing a book about my findings. It seemed to me that it would be too easy for a book to reward readers for looking to me for answers. I was unwilling to do that.

Eventually I found a way to write so there is not a sentence of advice in the entire 320 pages of Breaking the Rules. In lieu of advice, I have attempted to capture and model throughout the book a unique mentor- coaching process that shows up in the background of every visionary leader I have studied.

I hope you enjoy the book and benefit richly from reading it.