Visualize this thing that you want, see it, feel it, believe in it. Make your mental blueprint, and begin to build it. – Robert Collier
You have to expect things of yourself before you can do them – Michael Jordan
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Discover Your Canvas is perhaps the most important process in making your dream a reality. The canvas has to do with the what life will look like when I arrive at my desired end. I remember taking a trip to LasVegas, Nevada for a recent birthday. It was a 5-hour flight from my hometown to the LasVegas. Since I am not a pilot, I had to place my faith completely in the pilots who were guiding the plane to our intended destination. When getting off of the plane, I honestly had no clue if we were in LasVegas or not. Sure, the pilot announced that we had reached our desired destination; but the airport had the features of a facility that could be found in any metropolitan area. What I could do for final confirmation, however, was pull out the brochures that had pictures of landmarks that were known to be exclusive to LasVegas. I looked at the brochure pictures and then looked around to confirm that what was in the photos was exactly what I was seeing in real life. That was my way of confirming that I got to where I intended to be.
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Discover Your Canvas works in the same way. We develop a clear picture of our intended destination – what will it look like? what will we see? what will be experience? This way, as we journey through life, we are able to confirm if we in fact have reached our goal destination.
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Discovering the canvas looks at the following:
- Our core goals in each area of life and what life will look like (ideally) when we arrive at the place we want to be
- Our capabilities for creating what we envision – i.e. the gifts, talents, and resources we can offer and leverage for ourselves and others
- Our context for life including the relationships and environments that will influence our life outcomes
- Our contribution – the specific gifts we intend to leave with this world
Discover Your Canvas is a more detailed look at the first principle of Dream It In 3D (the principle of discovery). The workbook offers greater details and creative exercises to help clarify what you really want.