"Vision without execution is hallucination." Don’t take my word for it; those aren’t my words. They belong to Thomas Edison, certainly a man who knows a thing or two about vision (and implementation!). The same man made 5,000 attempts at implementing his vision before he finally got it right — after a dream he had during an afternoon nap. So what lessons can we take away from Edison’s words and experiences? Well, there are a few, and they all apply to marketing and bolstering your brand. 

Execute! Don’t be the one hallucinating. If you have a vision for your brand and the kind of reach it can have, you need to pick a marketing strategy and implement it. The execution of your chosen marketing plan is far more important than the actual plan itself. Here’s an industry secret: the best marketing strategy you can have is the one you execute from start to finish. So many business owners and CEOs get very excited about a new plan or direction, only to let that enthusiasm fizzle a month later when they haven’t seen instant results. See it through. Which brings us to our next Edison lesson…

Persistence. Have you ever been so sure of something that you were willing to go through 5,000 trials (and, incidentally, errors)? Sometimes that’s what it takes before having that “ah-ha!” moment. In the plugged-in, always-connected world of today, we are spoiled. We are used to instant gratification. That’s simply not how effective marketing works. Besides, who wants their brand to be a flash-in-the-pan passing moment? You want to create something that lasts.

Nurture your subconscious. Seriously. Ever hear that statistic about humans only using about 10 percent of our brains at any given time? Well, the subconscious is always working in the background, but it goes into hyper drive at night. So that big presentation that you couldn’t bring yourself to prepare during the day may come to you in full inspiration at night, just as that nagging operational problem may seem so solvable after a good night’s sleep. After 5,000 tries, Edison finally found his solution after waking from a dream about it. The subconscious is incredibly powerful, but like any other part of our body, it needs nurturing. Before you go to sleep, practice putting yourself in a good mood. Make yourself smile — it releases endorphins. Envision yourself succeeding. Focus on what you want to happen in your life, not what you want to avoid (you’ll only end up attracting it). If you’ve been hallucinating lately when it comes to your brand and marketing presence, snap out of it! Sure, you need to put yourself in a position to be having good dreams about it, but you can’t leave it at that. When you wake up, it’s time to execute. Be persistent about your implementation. Rinse and repeat.