Three years ago I had the privilege of meeting Dr. David LaShana, former chancellor of three successful institutions of higher learning. During our visit I had the chance to ask him about a time when he called on J.C. Penney. I want to pass this story along to you.
While Dr. LaShana was President of Taylor University in Fort Wayne, Indiana he scheduled an appointment with J. C. Penney, the founder of the chain of stores that bear his name. When he entered Mr. Penney’s office, he found Mr. Penney sitting behind his desk holding Dr. LaShana’s business card and moving it back and forth as if to bring it into better focus.
Mr. Penney looked up at Dr. LaShana, cleared his throat and said, “You’ll have to forgive me. I’m losing my vision.”
Mr. Penney stopped abruptly, slammed his hand down on his desk and said in a raised voice, “No, that’s not right. I’m losing my eyesight. I’ll never lose my vision!”
Wow! What a profound statement. “I’ll never lose my vision!”
I have a plaque on my office wall at home that reads,
How is your vision?
I recently read a great new book called Three Feet from Gold, written by Sharon L. Lechter, CPA and Greg S. Reid, based on the principles of Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. In it the authors’ state “Every wealth creator is crystal clear about two things: a vision and a mission.” (Page 105)
I’ve read dozens of books on success and hundreds of articles, and all of the writers are in complete agreement on this one fact – "You must believe it before you can see it." (Three Feet from Gold, by Sharon L. Lechter, CPA and Greg S. Reid, Page 127)
Henry David Thoreau states “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams.”
In the Bible, Hebrews Chapter 11:1 states “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” (New American Standard Bible © 1995)
What are your dreams? What is your vision? Are you moving toward it? Is it vivid in your mind’s eye? Can you sense it, taste it, imagine it and see it? I can. I know what my dream is and I have a plan for accomplishing it. My dream is to offer hope, encouragement and inspiration one word at a time to individuals and organizations.
Let’s move toward our dreams, hold them close and visit them often so that we never lose sight of our chief aim in life.
"Sight is a function of the eyes; vision is a function of the heart. Vision sets you free from the limitations of what the eyes can see and allows you to enter into the liberty of what the heart can feel. Never let your eyes determine what your heart believes.” Pg 91 (Aspire by Kevin Hall
Michael Biggs is a speaker, writer, speech coach and vocal soloist. He lives in Edmonds, WA. with his wife Carolyn. His company is called Up-Words, “Offering Hope, Encouragement, and Inspiration One Word at a Time”. He is available to speak to your business or organization. Please contact him at 206-349-1888 or email him at michael@up-words.net.
While Dr. LaShana was President of Taylor University in Fort Wayne, Indiana he scheduled an appointment with J. C. Penney, the founder of the chain of stores that bear his name. When he entered Mr. Penney’s office, he found Mr. Penney sitting behind his desk holding Dr. LaShana’s business card and moving it back and forth as if to bring it into better focus.
Mr. Penney looked up at Dr. LaShana, cleared his throat and said, “You’ll have to forgive me. I’m losing my vision.”
Mr. Penney stopped abruptly, slammed his hand down on his desk and said in a raised voice, “No, that’s not right. I’m losing my eyesight. I’ll never lose my vision!”
Wow! What a profound statement. “I’ll never lose my vision!”
I have a plaque on my office wall at home that reads,
“ONLY THOSE WHO CAN SEE THE INVISIBLE
CAN ACCOMPLISH THE IMPOSSIBLE”
How is your vision?
I recently read a great new book called Three Feet from Gold, written by Sharon L. Lechter, CPA and Greg S. Reid, based on the principles of Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. In it the authors’ state “Every wealth creator is crystal clear about two things: a vision and a mission.” (Page 105)
I’ve read dozens of books on success and hundreds of articles, and all of the writers are in complete agreement on this one fact – "You must believe it before you can see it." (Three Feet from Gold, by Sharon L. Lechter, CPA and Greg S. Reid, Page 127)
Henry David Thoreau states “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams.”
In the Bible, Hebrews Chapter 11:1 states “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” (New American Standard Bible © 1995)
What are your dreams? What is your vision? Are you moving toward it? Is it vivid in your mind’s eye? Can you sense it, taste it, imagine it and see it? I can. I know what my dream is and I have a plan for accomplishing it. My dream is to offer hope, encouragement and inspiration one word at a time to individuals and organizations.
Let’s move toward our dreams, hold them close and visit them often so that we never lose sight of our chief aim in life.
"Sight is a function of the eyes; vision is a function of the heart. Vision sets you free from the limitations of what the eyes can see and allows you to enter into the liberty of what the heart can feel. Never let your eyes determine what your heart believes.” Pg 91 (Aspire by Kevin Hall
“I’ll Never Lose My Vision”
__________________Michael Biggs is a speaker, writer, speech coach and vocal soloist. He lives in Edmonds, WA. with his wife Carolyn. His company is called Up-Words, “Offering Hope, Encouragement, and Inspiration One Word at a Time”. He is available to speak to your business or organization. Please contact him at 206-349-1888 or email him at michael@up-words.net.
Vision or sight or insight?
ReplyDeleteHey, Mike: The spontaneous comment of J.C. Penny is a classic. It exposed the real secret of his success. There was not a bone in his body that vibrated negativity or impossibility. He saw things that others could not see because of seeing too many things visible. The great men of history are men of vision, even gifted with special insight; that is, seeing through to the core of issues or the hidden realities that are behind things visible. When I was boldly confronting supervisors to own a project to provide support systems for pastors who could not control it, I never lost sight of the goal. Ultimately, it emerged as a great success for ministers and their families and the denomination I work in. But I could not afford to look at the difficulties lest I lose sight of the possibilities and yes, the necessities of persistence. By the way, Mike, I well remember reading through Napoleon Hill's series on the "Laws of Success" when I was a student in college. It helped form who I am today. Keep up the great work you are doing.
Wilbur Brannon