Dr. Dave Jones, founder of M is Good and author of Vision Wins, recently joined Brent Dowlen on the Driven 2 Thrive podcast to break down why most men struggle with direction and purpose and more importantly, how to fix it.
The Three Vision Problems Keeping You Stuck
“There’s three problems with vision,” Dr. Dave states. “One, you don’t have it. Two, you don’t believe it, and three, you’re not communicating it.”
Most men are simply winging it, making decisions based on whatever feels right in the moment. Without vision, you’re essentially driving cross-country without a map, GPS, or destination.
But here’s the liberating truth: your vision doesn’t have to be perfect. Drawing from the biblical prophet Habakkuk, Dr. Dave emphasizes that your vision needs to be simple enough to read at 60 mph, just like a highway exit sign. If you can’t carry it with you mentally, it’s too complicated.
The Hamburger Analogy: Vision, Mission, and Core Values Work Together
Dr. Dave uses a simple but powerful analogy to explain how these three elements work together:
“It’s like eating a really delicious hamburger,” he explains. “You wouldn’t say, ‘Man, this is a great bun.’ You’d say, ‘This is a great burger.’ Vision, mission, and core values are like that. They’re part of a bigger picture.”
Here’s how they break down:
- Vision: Your North Star is a clear, written image of your future and where you’re going
- Mission: The specific steps and strategies to get there
- Core Values: The daily decision-making boundaries that keep you on track
Dr. Dave points to examples like Bill Gates’ vision of “a computer in every home” (when computers were literally the size of houses) and FedEx’s original vision “to be in every city every day.” These weren’t just corporate buzzwords, they were North Stars that made daily decisions crystal clear.
The 10,000-Hour Truth: You’re Closer Than You Think
As a former professional hockey player and performance coach to NHL and NFL athletes, Dr. Dave reveals a powerful insight about excellence:
“We don’t rise to the level of our expectation. We fall to the level of our training.”
Citing Malcolm Gladwell’s research in Outliers, he breaks down the path to expertise:
- 4,000 hours = Student
- 6,000-8,000 hours = Teacher
- 10,000 hours = Expert
The good news? You’re probably closer to mastery in your field than you realize. Elite performers aren’t more talented, they’re more committed to the process. They show up early, stay late, and do the reps.
The FLAP Framework: What’s Really Sabotaging Your Success
In his upcoming book, Dr. Dave introduces the FLAP framework, the four hidden saboteurs that derail even successful men:
- Fear: Not the healthy preservation kind, but the crippling anxiety that keeps you stuck
- Lust: Not just sexual, the possession lust for bigger, better, more that drives decisions instead of your values
- Anger: What happens when people get in the way of where you think you need to go
- Pride: The inability to stay agile when circumstances change
“We all struggle with at least two of these every single day,” Dr. Dave warns. The first step? Recognizing you have an issue.
Start Where You Are: The Passion Discovery Method
So how do you actually discover your core values? Dr. Dave’s advice is surprisingly simple:
“Start with what makes you mad.”
There’s deep-seated passion in what frustrates you. Flip those negatives into positives, and you’ve found your starting point. Don’t like messy situations? Your value might be excellence or organization. Hate when people are late? Your value might be “on time, every time.”
And here’s the permission you need to hear: It’s okay if it’s messy at first. Your values don’t have to be perfectly articulated right away. As Dr. Dave says, “Show me ducks in a row. When have you ever seen ducks in a row? It’s just not real.”
Give yourself six to seven weeks to wrestle with your vision, mission, and core values. This isn’t digging a hole in the backyard where more shovels make it go faster. This is mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual work that takes time.
The Foundation for Everything Else
Whether you’re building a business, leading a family, or just trying to figure out what’s next, vision, mission, and core values provide the foundation. They’re not corporate buzzwords or motivational fluff, they’re the framework that creates clarity, fulfillment, and purpose.
As Dr. Dave puts it: “God’s got a plan for your life, and glorifying Him with your talents and your abilities is the best place to be. You can put in the reps today and build a better life for tomorrow.”
Listen to the full conversation on the Driven 2 Thrive podcast to hear more about:
- How Michael Jordan’s mindset of “learning opportunities” can transform your failures
- Why 80% of people are disengaged at work, and how values create fulfillment no paycheck can match
- The biblical blueprint for boundaries from the prophet Habakkuk
- How to know when your drive is helping or hurting your relationships
