06 November 2009

Hold On To Your Vision

In this post I'm going to expound on both the benefits and the necessity of having a clearly defined vision. This should be nothing new as I generally prologue most of my entries with such an example. I feel that as we are slowly starting to see the signs of economic recovery it is important for us to take the lessons learned and apply them moving forward.

As I look back over the last year there have been a lot of ups and downs personally and professionally. The thing that has kept me pushing forward and prevented me from loosing all hope has been my vision. My vision for Stigmare, my vision for Emerald City Fashion Week, and my vision for the philanthropy I want to perform. It is easy when times are tough to fall into a victim mentality and blame everything around you for your failures and short comings. This is a choice and it is one that I refuse to make.

This time last year I was enjoying cocktails at the Columbia Tower Club, serving on the clubs Tower 39 Board, Membership Committee and Business Forum Committee. I still had my dream car, a black on black SLK 320, and a nice house in the Newcastle area south of Bellevue. Today I ride Metro because I could no longer afford my car. I have a small two bedroom apartment in the Fairwood area of Renton, and I've had to leave the Tower Club. I don't say this to brag or seek sympathy but to illustrate that we are not the sum of our circumstances.

While I have been humbled and have a greater appreciation for the small blessings in my life I am still essentially the same man. I have achieved success once I will achieve it again, because I have a clear vision of what that success is to me. It is not soully financial, all though without finances the other aspects of what I consider to be success are next to impossible. I've always believed money to be a tool, as impartial as a hammer or an automobile. It is the intent of the user that determines the justness of its use.

What is this vision that drives me, and allows me to be the duck on the pond gracefully gliding across the water's surface all the while paddling like a mad man underneath. Well you are all aware of my vision for Stigmare if you have ready any of my recent posts. While I talk a great deal about Emerald City Fashion Week on Twitter I have not shared my full vision with you. Nor have I really gone into the full scope of what I wish to accomplish philanthropically either. Well I shall rectify both of those now as I firmly believe that until you put it out into the universe it will never happen. A lesson learned from, "Think and Grow Rich" and other books on success principles.

Twenty years from now I envision Emerald City Fashion Week to be an epicenter for the Northwest and Pacific Rim fashion industry with designers, manufacturers, industry experts and suppliers from around the world converging on Seattle. Designers will be offered continuing education opportunities and trend forecasting enabling them to better apply their craft. Design houses will flourish in SODO and the Georgetown area. Suppliers will have set up distributors in the area and will showcase the latest materials. On and off shore manufacturers will compete for the mass production of goods for distribution to major retailers. The city will come together for a grand spectacle celebrating the art and function of fashion of all kinds. All of which will bring credibility to the industry in Seattle and increase employment and the local tax base.

As for my philanthropic goals, the most pressing of these is my desire to give back to my almamater. I have put it out there on many occasions that one goal is to be able to provide 250 full ride scholarships a year to the Albers School of Business and Economics at Seattle University. I owe so much to Seattle University for giving me the tools to apply my craft, teaching me to be a perpetual student and instilling in me a sense of civic responsibility beyond my military career. I see what's happening with my brothers-in-arms coming back from war zones and not re acclimating well and know that I am not doing enough currently to help them and want to rectify that.

I have long dreamed of setting up a mentorship program for veterans by veterans. We have a habit of not lending much credibility to someone that hasn't been there, done that. There are countless examples of veterans that have gone on to be highly successful in the civilian world after leaving the military. These young Marines, Sailors, Soldiers and Airmen need to know there is a whole life available for the taking after exiting the service. I never want to see another veteran on the side of the road pan handling again, they have given to much to all of us to suffer that fate. These men and women need the tools to retrain themselves and a supportive hand to help them through the transition which I still suffer with today.

These are just a few of the visions which drive me forward. They are my purpose for being here and I will not give up until they are obtained. No one can convince me otherwise. When I am struggling and things appear bleak I try to consciously refocus on them and regain my bearings. What drives you, what is your vision, do you know or are you still searching for it? Follow your passion, I dare you.


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