New Vision Will Turn Your World Upside Down
Back in the early days of the space program, NASA designed an experiment to determine the physical and mental effects spatial disorientation might create in astronauts as they experienced the weightless environment of space. NASA needed to know if the environment of space would have some unexpected negative consequences that would endanger the astronauts or their mission. Would they be unable to function or experience some debilitating reactions that would incapacitate them? So, NASA scientists outfitted astronauts with goggles that flipped everything in their field of vision upside down. The astronauts had to wear the special goggles nonstop, 24 hours a day, 7 days per week, no matter their activity, even when asleep.
An Amazing Change
At first they displayed stress indicated by elevated blood pressure and respiration, but they gradually adapted. On the 26th day of the experiment, something amazing happened for one of the astronauts. His world turned right-side up again even though he continued to wear the goggles. Between days 26-30, the same thing happened to all the other astronauts.
What the scientists discovered is that, after 26-30 days of this continuous stream of new input, the astronauts’ brains actually created neural pathways that “rewired” their brains to see their worlds normally again. Then NASA repeated the experiment with a slight change. This time some of the astronauts took the goggles off for a short period of time partway through the experiment. When they put the goggles back on and left them on until the 30th day, their worlds were still upside down, but when they continued on, at 26-30 consecutive days wearing the goggles, the same thing happened – everything was suddenly right side up again.
Intentional Change
What can we extract from this NASA experiment concerning having a mission statement? A mission statement will help you see things a new way, and while at first it may be disorienting, later it will enable you, like the astronauts, to soar to new heights! A well crafted vision statement can help you start a new life, take your business to a new level, change your marriage, eliminate old destructive habits, in short; forge a new path.
After 30 days of conscious, intentional, deliberate thought and effort it gets easier and by 90 days the mission statement will become a permanent part of who you are – a new direction, a new habit, only this time it will be one that’s serving you and moving you toward your goals. After a short time of living continually with your mission statement your brain will begin to kick in and create new paths toward your dream.
Lasting Change
Nature abhors a vacuum and releasing a bad habit leaves a void that will be filled with something. So, if you do not consciously replace a habit, and intentionally choose a new direction you will cycle back to old ways of doing things and get the same old results. A vision statement will supercharge your brain to:
- Focus on the dream
- Accept a new direction
- Set priorities about what will take you your new direction
- Provide motivation by finding reasons to go the new direction
- Know what to say yes to
- Know what to say no to
- Grow, seek out new knowledge and ideas that fulfill the new mission
- Measure your progress
- Keep your heart and mind on the prize
In short, after thirty days of living with a new mission statement the mission will begin to manifest because your brain now accepts it as your path and is helping you go that way.
John Maxwell says, “Movement with intentionality creates possibilities.” A mission statement puts your intentions into a precise destination. It puts your destination into precise words and speaking your dream is the first step in moving toward it. A mission statement is like giving your internal GPS a precise destination that your mind and body will begin to follow.
To think positively about your possibilities you must be able to imagine yourself in the future. Dr. Caroline Leaf says, “Our brains may have stamps from the past, but they are being led by our expectation of the future.” A car has a bigger front window than a rear view mirror because where you’re going is more important than where you’ve been.
Write a mission statement and live with it for ninety days and you will turn your world upside down.
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