A Visionary Voyage: Setting Sail into the Future

A vision trip is an exploratory, short-term trip taken with people who share a similar, purpose-driven vision. These journeys allow us to collect important information on a topic that interests us, while engaging in strategic conversations with others involved. Typically, vision trips provide a renewed vision of hope, a sense of community, and experiential understanding of what a future state could look like for you.

10 years after my miraculous healing experience in college, I heard about some extraordinary work being done in the Middle East - stories of wonderful people doing amazing humanitarian and leadership work. By this time, I had already started a few non-profit and for-profit organizations and was pretty well-networked. Not to mention, I was energized by the idea of using my leadership gift to serve people in a region where very few were willing to go. So the more I researched, the more compelled I felt to take this trip with a good friend.

Imagine being married 3 years and telling your spouse that you feel strongly pulled to take a vision trip into one of the most volatile regions of the world. You better believe that a lot of contemplation and deep conversation went into this decision. In the end, my wife and I believed (despite much opposition and concern from close family and friends) that I needed to take this very timely trip.

As my friend and I prepared for the journey, ideas were bubbling up about what we could potentially do. I knew we needed to experience it with our own eyes and ears.

I wondered if this could be a region of the world that we served in the long-term - a place where we could meet the practical needs of current leaders, while inspiring and positively influencing the leaders of tomorrow. There was only one way to find out - go!

When we arrived in Afghanistan, I was not quite prepared for everything we saw. We first assisted an organization that served orphan children. These children wandered the streets, surviving off of food found in trashcans. Many of them lived in what are referred to as “tent communities,” which have little to no life necessities. Through the organization, the children received help getting washed and were given some fun, interactive games to play. In addition to helping with this, I was able to use my basketball background to help train a local basketball team. It was a profound opportunity to use our skillsets in business, leadership, and basketball to facilitate the first official high school basketball tournament in the school and city history. Pretty awesome!

During our 14-day vision trip, my personal vision became clearer, but not at all how I expected. After these eye-opening experiences, ideas flooded my mind and a lot of discussions came up.

“This really interests me. This is a really passionate area for me. Maybe we should pursue this, maybe that? I’m not really sure. What do you think?”

For us, the vision trip took our purpose and really stirred the pot. An interactive idea-sifting process began. In time, I became laser focused on my personal vision and ended up going back to the Middle East 4 times in a span of 8 years. I brought with me teams of people who were ready to assist and impact leaders in various spheres of society.

As a result of my vision trip, I realized I had to use my leadership gift and become a catalyst for my network to make a long-term impact. For this to happen, I willingly surrendered some other local and regional opportunities as my personal vision came into focus. The trip granted me the chance to sift through what I needed to sift through. I gained clarity in areas I otherwise wouldn’t have. Ideas became more structured and tangible as I talked and listened to others who were further along in the process. I found words for what I was feeling because I saw with my own eyes, felt with my own body, and experienced what I hadn’t before.

What would your vision trip look like? Maybe you don’t go to the Middle East. Maybe it’s simply the east side of town. As your purpose ignites, it will lead you to new locations where you can progress. You may interview pioneers, learn from mentors, and engage with people who have already worked in your passion areas. The specifics are up to you – but it all starts with you envisioning it.

(This content was taken from my first book: Lead the Way: Inside Out Leadership Principles for Business Owners & Leaders )

__________________________

I'm interested in Robb's Keynote Speaking!

Robb's passionate and practical keynote talks lead the way from burnout and emptiness to fulfillment and success, exploring how an individual’s innate purpose is worth so much more than the money they earn or the business results they achieve. To book Robb, click here .

_____________________________

About Robb Holman

Robb Holman is a sought-after Global Keynote Speaker and Author of three transformational leadership books, Lead the Way , All In , and Move the Needle . In recognition of his expertise, Robb was named one of the world's top 30 leadership speakers and thought leaders by Global Gurus in both 2022 and 2023. He was also recently inducted into the Power List of the Top 200 Biggest Voices in Leadership in 2023. His innovative Inside Out Leadership philosophy has gained significant recognition and has been featured in publications like Inc, Forbes, and Fast Company. You can visit Robb by going here .

Robb is presently offering a FREE assessment to help create a level of self-awareness on four key areas of your life: Perspective, Purpose, Vision, and Leading Yourself First.