This is what my 2021 is going to be all about. I ramble a bit, but it’s sincere. Think of it as the first draft that you never get to read. There’s an explanation after the video.

First, a quick history lesson. There was a time when the Roman Empire was a small business.

The story of their growth has something that might help you. 

You see, back when Rome was just a large village in the middle of Italy, when fierce enemies lurked a few days’ journey away, back when Roman roads were just dusty pathways in the summer and streams of mud in the winter, way back in the days when the southern third of Italy was part of Greece, someone had an audacious vision. 

A Roman Censor named Appius Claudius initiated a project that caused a lot of people to shake their heads. 

He built a road. A real road. The first true Roman Road. Nobody had ever done anything like this before.

The road was paved with multiple layers of stone and interlocking hexagon plates of hand-carved volcanic rock that was almost indestructible. Drainage ditches were dug to keep the water off. He set up outposts along the road to provide travelers with food, water, and fresh horses.

You might think a road like this would go somewhere important, but it didn’t. It just led into the wilderness and sort of petered out. A lot of people shook their heads.

This project bankrupted the treasury, which probably caused even more people to shake their heads. But you know what happened next.

With this infrastructure in place, the Romans could move their troops, supplies, and messengers year round with startling speed. Soon they controlled the Italian peninsula, and then they copied this system on every shore along the Mediterranean sea. 

I wrote about this a few months ago on Medium, in an article titled, “How Appius Claudius Invented Rome.” It’s been getting some attention, and I think I know why. Many people are asking themselves the same question:

What could you accomplish, if you were willing to make a few people shake their heads?

No matter where you are in your life, in your business, you can benefit by having an audacious vision. When you have an audacious vision, something happens. You will find yourself inspiring others. You will have energy and power behind your every move. Decision-making becomes easy.

Best of all, you gain an unfair advantage over your competitors.

Dan Kennedy once listed 26 “Wealth Magnets” used by many of the most successful entrepreneurs in the world. (There are really 27 of these, but the last one is hidden. Wealth Magnet #15 is Passion. #16 is See What Isn’t There. The 17th magnet is No Boundaries. 

My favorite, Wealth Magnet #10, is Do Something. 

If you have an audacious vision, take massive action to bring it into the world. Heads will shake, but soon you’ll have four wealth magnets, and you’ll be on your way to activating others.

Over the weekend, I had my own Audacious Vision. I’ll be sharing it with you a little bit in these emails, or you can find out about it on the video at the top of this post.

But meanwhile, what is your audacious vision? Go on! Make my head shake!

About Jacob Bear In a digital world filled with endless distraction, the key to success is to become so excited about something that you attack every obstacle and light up the path for your followers. As a copywriter and marketing coach, Jacob has been guiding entrepreneurs to uncover their unique story since 2006. In his new talk, “Finding Your Fire,” he shows you how to cultivate a sense of adventure that brings energy and originality to everything you do. His free Social Media Cheat Sheet shows you how to create authentic, perpetual content in nine steps. You can find the Cheat Sheet and other tools at JacobBear.com/FreeStuff.

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