The first step to accomplishing the success that you want is to have a vision of yourself partaking in the activities that you deem meaningful. A vision can not only guide you toward success and toward your goals, but it allows for insight that maybe only you see. Without a distinct vision for your success, how will you ever know if you are successful? You probably won’t! This is why having a vision is so crucial to success. Nelson Mandela, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and Mohandas (Mahatma) Gandhi were all, in my opinion, tremendously successful people not simply because they stumbled upon their triumphs, but because they had a vision of what they wanted to accomplish and they stuck to their vision until their deaths.

The first example of the power of vision that comes to my mind is the vision that Nelson Mandela had for South Africa. Mandela lived in South Africa in the time of apartheid, meaning that Blacks and whites were segregated based on their race. Tensions grew stronger and stronger between white and black people in South Africa from 1948 to 1994, and almost all of the Black population saw a violent revolution as the only solution to gain Black freedom and equality in South Africa. But the imagination and vision that Nelson Mandela had for South Africa was brilliantly different. His vision was to unite South Africa peacefully and diplomatically, without violent revolution. Mandela’s vision was eventually fulfilled when he became president in 1994, abolished apartheid, and united South Africa. This example just goes to show you that one man’s vision has the power to change an entire country!

Another terrific example of the power vision is the vision that Martin Luther King, Jr. had for the United States. When Martin Luther King, Jr. was growing up, the southern United States was segregated under the Jim Crow laws. Black people in the United States simply weren’t treated equally from the time of conception of the United States all the way until the mid 1900s, when things started to change. Black people in the south in the mid-1900s struggled for equality and sought a strong leader to lead them to freedom. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was the leader that emerged. What made Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. so influential was his conviction and his vision. Dr. King’s vision was incredibly ambitious. His vision was that the United States would one day be a place where all men, regardless of the color of their skin, could walk freely. At the time, Martin Luther King, Jr.’s vision seemed far-fetched, but eventually his vision became reality in the late 1900s. King’s imagination and vision was the key to his success in liberating black people in the United States.

A third example of the power of imagination and vision is that of Mohandas Gandhi. Gandhi lived in India in a time when India was ruled by British politics and Indians were denied basic freedoms. Gandhi had a vision that Indians would someday be free from British rule, be able to govern themselves, and have all the freedoms that they deserved. His imagination and vision was certainly ambitious, especially since he planned on gaining Indian independence through passive resistance. Gandhi’s vision seemed far-fetched to most, but not to him. For him, his vision was very obtainable. Gandhi persevered through jail time, abuse, humiliation, and incredible fasting in order to become a better leader and fulfill his vision. India eventually gained independence thanks to the leadership and vision of Mohandas Gandhi. The Gandhi-led Indian independence movement all started with an incredible vision from Gandhi himself!

The power of having a vision comes in it that a vision paves a visual map of what success looks like, and this in turn will make it easier and more plausible that an individual will actually be successful. The great leaders Nelson Mandela, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and Mohandas Gandhi have proven the importance of using your imagination and having a vision for the future. All three of these men had incredibly ambitious visions, but when pursued with conviction, the visions were fulfilled. The fulfillment of Mandela’s, Dr. King’s, and Gandhi’s tremendously ambitious visions proves that vision can be a crucial element that can lead one to success!