I was there to talk about Living a High Payoff Life. It's one of my favorite topics, and every time I speak about it people's faces light up and they become very intent. They can feel in their hearts that there are gold nuggets in there!

Everyone was listening and each person was thinking about what that would look like for each of them. They were really enjoying imagining what their High Payoff Life could look like.

One entrepreneur in the audience, Jerry, kept raising her hand with questions. Each one was on a different aspect of her life. Her work, her family, her friends, her staff. Her three business interests. And every question she posed was filled with stress and anxiety and worry about getting it all handled perfectly.

Jerry was the perfect reflection of the audience as a group. They thought they were going to get a hand out with a list of steps to take that would get them to their High Payoff Life by the weekend.

Jerry was looking for the step-by-step road map to how to get it all in focus and under control, and each time she asked a question it became clear that she was giving every topic the same importance and the same priority. Except one thing.

Jerry is faced with the challenge common to sole practitioners and small business owners everywhere. She had completely lost track of the Vision behind all of her time and efforts.

When I asked her what her Vision was, she became very silent, and looked as if she were only moments away from tears. That wasn't my intention with my question, but it pointed out the root of the matter.

By holding on to all the reins in her business, Jerry spends everyday with a To Do list filled with tasks in many different categories. Her attention is on the smallest of details for each of them. What was lost in all the details was the heart and soul, the Vision that was behind all her efforts in the first place.

I asked her permission to probe a bit deeper and she agreed.

"Think back to the Vision you held when you started your business. What was it?" I asked her.

Her face calmed, her eyes looked off in the distance and the lines in her face smoothed out and her whole body lit up. "To create products that make working mothers' lives easier!"

She said it with life and energy and a dream in her voice.

"When was the last time you had that Vision in your mind?" I posed.

She answered with her eyes focused back on me, her head tipped to the side.

"Years."

"Do you know what your High Payoff Action needs to be when you leave here today? The one that will bring the answers to all those other questions into focus?" I asked.

The rest of the folks in the audience thought I was going to give them a detailed road map to follow and use minute by minute, day by day. We're wired that way (grin). Instead what they got was a single assignment to take away and make their own.

"It's the same simple action every business owner needs to take as they deal with the challenges of building and running their business. Day in and day out. A single action."

A couple of people glanced at each other sideways but no one volunteered an answer.

"The single most important action is keeping your Vision in view." I told them. "And I mean IN VIEW! Not on a piece of paper in a notebook. Not a sticky note at the front of your 3-ring planner. I mean up on a wall or on your desktop in plain view for you and everyone else to see.

The first step to creating and living Your High Payoff Life is having your Vision in front of you constantly. Then you'll be able to quickly assess the things that are cropping up that are distractions rather than moving you to achieve that Vision.

I gave them the assignment I use with my MasterMind members to set their personal and business Vision. I expect a lot of walls are going to have powerful Visions on them in the next few weeks.

And a lot of To Dos are going to be re-prioritized and even dumped off the list for good!

Copyright (c) 2008 Linda Feinholz