Figuring out what’s next is a challenging problem, but getting there can be made easier when you ask yourself three basic questions:

Where do you want to go?

The process of changing from one state of being to another requires an input of energy. Putting effort into a project is much easier when you have a sense of where you’d like to be or what you want it to become. A vision of the future, however vague, is what kick starts the creative process and helps generate the momentum necessary to move the process forward. 

Creating a vision and then communicating it to another person is a very personal act. What if they don’t like it or disagree with it? Or what if they can’t comprehend why you are thinking these thoughts or why you’d want to change? However difficult that may be, that is eventually what is required if you want to build a team to help you build a new future.

What does the current landscape look like?

Having a vision is one thing, but figuring out how to bring it to life is another thing altogether. Ideally, we’d all like to have someone swoop down and remove the impediments to achieving our goals or an angel investor to come down and immediately fund a project.

However, if you haven’t looked around you to see what resources are immediately available for you to work with, then you are doing yourself a disservice. The foundation of long term, sustainable growth is in working with the people and tools around you.

A curious thing starts to happen when you pick your head up and survey what’s at your disposal. With my vision in mind, I start to see resources differently in that I begin to realize what I can use and what I can’t. My mind starts to group resources together and make connections between them that creates new possibilities. These possibilities become opportunities for people to develop into resources, partners, sources of funding, or simply support.

What is the impact on your business?

In examining this resource landscape, you also in a way are beginning to test your ideas on others. Their reactions impact the way you see your vision. Some may disagree with you and that’s ok, but others will get excited about the potential and help push you forward. How you choose to react to these thoughts is entirely up to you. Don’t be discouraged by a negative reaction–they may not fully understand what you are trying to achieve, and it’s your job to help get them there.

As connections and new possibilities appear, it will impact what you are currently doing. Positively, the act of looking forward or outwards may help you determine how you discover new markets for your products and services. Negatively, your new view may steer you away from possibilities that don’t align with your vision of the future, or perhaps more importantly, your values.

When you have a better sense of how various resources can now be used to help you build your vision, the path to get there will begin to emerge.