Sometimes I just read things that makes so much sense and just explains what is what. One of these things I read in Peter Senge’s book The 5th Discipline, and it is about personal visions why some visions are just abandoned. Visions, we all have them in some way, a dream something that drives us to make decisions and take direction towards something. In Peters book, personal mastery is not just having a vision but also be aware of current reality. Many can have a vision, but not that many actually knows how to fulfill them. What you must know is what is current reality. You may see the relationship between current reality and your vision as an elastic band that you hold between your fingers. The creative tension is illustrated by the elastic band. The farther away your vision is from current reality, the higher is tension of the elastic band representing creative tension. Now it is really easy to see how to lose the tension.
- Move your vision towards current reality
- Move current reality towards your vision
Now, there is nothing wrong with a tension. The tension is just an analogy. It just represents some that is. The easy way (which many takes) is just to move the vision towards current reality, because the tension is too high. Even emotions can make you adapt the vision, questioning yourself and your vision.
Senge also considers current reality as something that is not good nor bad, current reality just is.
So basically, your success following your vision depends on how much creative tension you can handle. It just makes so much sense, and just explains what is, nothing else.