Having A Clear Vision

Success begins with spreading your wings, believing in your worth, trusting your insight, nurturing yourself, having a goal, and devising a personal strategy.  And then, even impossible dreams become real. ~~ Sue Augustine.

 

Dreams are clarified with a clear concise vision statement. Having a vision of where you want to be is so important. When you spread your wings, you need to know where you’re flying.  A clear vision also expresses your purpose and adds flavor to both your personal and business life.

I learned the importance of developing a vision and mission statement from an on-line college course, Creating a Successful Business Plan.   This vital step wasn’t left until the financial costs and marketing strategies were discussed. Right at the beginning, I needed to be clear about these two: the vision statement tells you where you want to be (and what you represent) and the mission statement tells you how you’ll get there.

Here’s mine:

My vision is to be the most sought-after financial planner who designs “dream” financial plans to help hundreds of people get to where they want to go now and in the future. 

I know what you’re thinking.  Doesn’t that appear self-centered, “most sought-after”?  When I asked my instructor, Kris Solie-Johnson, she assured me that the words sound confident.  When you create your vision statement, whether it’s for your business or personal life, use specific wording which reflects the things you value.  Make a bold proclamation outlining your purpose and goal.

I also learned that a mission statement could easily be confused with a vision statement.  In the course, Coach Kris instructed us to treat these “as two separate entities – one providing a concept and the other a pathway.”  I appreciated this logic.  The mission statement tends to focus on the “how” you are going to accomplish the “what” (the vision).

After careful consideration and thought, my mission statement reads:  

I diligently adhere to the eight-point FPSC® Code of Ethics established by the Financial Planning Standards Council (FPSC).  I conduct myself in a matter whereby my clients’ interests take priority. I act diligently, professionally, and with integrity. I am objective, fair, and open. The client’s information remains confidential.  I am a life-long learner and, as such, am competent through my on-going commitment to education.   

 

In Stephen R. Covey’s book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, he specifically dedicated a section to the development of “A Personal Mission Statement”.  His notorious statement was “to always begin with the end in mind.”  Here he writes:

The most effective way I know to begin with the end in mind is to develop a personal mission statement or philosophy or creed.  It focuses on what you want to be (character) and to do (contributions and achievements) and on the values or principles upon which being and doing are based.

Therefore, whether you are an entrepreneur in your farm business, a stay-at-home parent, or an employee, vision and mission statements serve specific purposes.  These creative statements clearly help you see life’s road map in concise and clear ways, acting like motivators that propel you forward onto success.  When you experience life’s turbulences, like Arlene Dickinson mentions in her book, All In, these bulletproof reasons “restart your engines when they threaten to stall.” This is your commitment to daily live your life on purpose.

We can’t drift through life as though it doesn’t matter.  Life matters.  We have only one chance to live on earth to prove to others that we are here for a purpose.  So take time today to write your vision and mission statements instead of New Year’s Resolutions.  These statements will serve you well in the New Year and in the years which follow. 

For an additional resource to help create your vision and mission statements, click here.  In the comment section, you are invited to share yours.