Do you have a vision for what you are doing? Or are you just planning to do the same thing in-and-out and maintain? Or do you plan to add a few regular pieces and then just go with the flow when they’re in place?
Is there any long-term strategy to what you are doing or are you solely just thinking about getting through this coming weekend? What steps are you taking now to set the stage for what you plan to do later? Do you even know what you are going to do later? And if you do, do you know what you are going to need?
Many of the people talking the most about “vision” do exactly that… Talk. And they keep talking. And as they keep talking week after week, somehow what they do and what they get never actually changes. They might reach a point, plateau, and have no idea why. Probably because you’re doing the same old tired shit you always do!
Whatever you are planning down the road, you need to set the stage for it today. Some of it may involve grunt things like adding and charting music for your database. Most of it will be about developing and cultivating relationships with the people who are going to help you make it happen. Some of these people you might not even know, yet. You’ll be meeting them through other people you know. Very little grows up fully-formed completely out of nowhere. The seeds are planted months, possibly years in advance and carefully tended over time.
You know one good way to make sure nothing ever happens? Forego it all for immediate gratification.
Just beware that some people are very much threatened by big visions. Why? Because it requires work. And in the case of certain people, it exposes that they really want the rewards without having to do the work. There are a lot of lazy-ass people out there. And much of it is intellectual laziness.
Before you bring the fullness of your vision into your ministry, be damn sure that everyone you’re partnering with is actually supportive. It’s possible that they really want your work so they can reap the rewards… and cut you out of it.
