“The mind, once expanded to the dimensions of larger ideas, never returns to its original size.”
– Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr.
I’ve come to realize something powerful over the years in business, leadership, and life: Nobody knows what they truly want – until you show it to them.
We’d like to think people walk around with a clear vision, vivid goals, and five-year plans. But the truth is, most are operating in survival mode. They’re navigating the day-to-day, doing the best with what they’ve seen, experienced, or been exposed to. But that doesn’t mean they’re thinking about what could be – because most of the time, they don’t even know it exists.
That’s where leadership comes in.
Leadership isn’t just about guiding people toward a goal – it’s about expanding their vision for what’s possible.
It’s about showing someone the version of themselves they can’t yet see.
It’s about casting vision for a team that’s never worked anywhere that had one.
It’s about building a culture where people feel purpose-driven, when all they’ve ever known is punching a clock.
When you grow up not having much, it doesn’t take much to feel like you’ve made it. I remember when I first started making a little bit of financial headway in the business. It wasn’t crazy. But for someone who grew up watching my parents’ bills pile up, living every week check to check, I thought, “This is it. I’ve made it.”
I had no idea that I was aiming too low. Why? Because I had never seen more. I didn’t know more was possible. When we were just starting to make a little bit of traction with the business around 2013, that is when my first business mentor and friend came into my life and showed me what leadership really looked like. He showed me that impact was more fulfilling than income.
That freedom wasn’t about having money – it was about having margin.
That legacy wasn’t built by just working hard – but by helping others rise.
He didn’t lecture me. He didn’t push me. He just lived it – and in doing so, he showed me something I didn’t even know I wanted.
And here’s the thing… once your mind has been expanded to see more, it never goes back to its original size. You can’t unsee possibility. You can’t go back to thinking small. And that’s the real magic of leadership. It’s not just showing someone what’s possible once; it’s setting a new baseline for what they believe they’re capable of.
To be transparent: from that day when I truly started to push myself out of my growth comfort zone, I’ve never been the same since.
What does this mean for you as a leader? If you’re leading people – your team, your kids, your clients – remember this: Don’t just ask them what they want. Help them see what’s possible. Because the truth is, most people can’t articulate what they really want until they experience something better.
They don’t know what a great culture looks like – until they work in one.
They don’t know what winning feels like – until they’ve tasted it.
They don’t know what growth means – until they’ve been led through it.
You don’t get people to level up by demanding more out of them. You do it by showing them what “more” looks like. And once they see it, the bar will never drop back to where it was before.
“You can’t be what you can’t see.” – Marian Wright Edelman
I’ll land the plane with this – Be the leader who goes first. Be the one who paints the picture. Be the example that helps someone say, “I didn’t even know I wanted that… but now I do.” Because when you show them what’s possible, you don’t just change their goals, You change their future – and you expand their vision so far, it can never shrink back again.
Here is what I’ve learned…
Exposure to greatness changes everything – it raises the standard you’ll accept for yourself.