It is all well and good to advocate for being “mission-driven” but what if you aren’t–quite honestly–sure what your mission is?
Here is one good way to get at that. Start with your vision.
(“Huh?” “How does that help?” “Aren’t they the same thing?”…)
Good questions…and no–they aren’t quite the same, even though they are related. Stay with me and try this:
Complete the sentence, “I envision a world in which….”
Now, you may need to give that idea a lot of thought, or it may just come tumbling out. Either way, this is the crux of the matter so don’t skip this step. What kind of vision do you have for the world (not for YOU, or for your business–yet–but for the world)?
Here is mine: “I envision a world in which entrepreneurs are SO highly valued and respected that all of our systems, institutions, and cultural biases reward those who dare to be authentic, bold, risk-taking, and unconventional in thought and action–at any age.”
Notice that my vision doesn’t say anything directly about me, my business, or my own agenda. That is where the mission comes in. The mission is the particular “means” that I have identified and committed myself to carrying out, in order to achieve the “end” of the vision. Means and ends provide a useful way to differentiate and clarify how to get at these, and start putting them in terms that make sense at personal as well as business levels.
Complete this sentence, in order to get at your particular mission (the means by which you personally will contribute to the change you’d like to see in the world): ” I will work to create this change in the world by….”
For example, my mission is this: “To connect AT-RISK* midlife adults with the inner and outer tools for reclaiming their lives and re-inventing their futures through Internet entrepreneurship and successful home-business ownership. ” Simple. (* AT-RISK of burnout, lay-off, economic collapse, personal and family stress, etc.)
With that foundation in place, I can tease out and articulate additional things like values, core-beliefs, purpose, and strategies for changing the world in that particular way, as I develop more tools for communicating with my audience, customers, etc..
Make sense? I’d love to hear from you about the change you envision in the world, and how you and your business are on a mission to make your vision a reality!
Be amazed and amazing,
Thia,/span>
P.S. If you’d like to see a REALLY great mission statement, this link will take you directly to the one that inspired me!
How To Identify Your Mission
It is all well and good to advocate for being “mission-driven” but what if you aren’t–quite honestly–sure what your mission is?
Here is one good way to get at that. Start with your vision.
(“Huh?” “How does that help?” “Aren’t they the same thing?”…)
Good questions…and no–they aren’t quite the same, even though they are related. Stay with me and try this:
Complete the sentence, “I envision a world in which….”
Now, you may need to give that idea a lot of thought, or it may just come tumbling out. Either way, this is the crux of the matter so don’t skip this step. What kind of vision do you have for the world (not for YOU, or for your business–yet–but for the world)?
Here is mine: “I envision a world in which entrepreneurs are SO highly valued and respected that all of our systems, institutions, and cultural biases reward those who dare to be authentic, bold, risk-taking, and unconventional in thought and action–at any age.”
Notice that my vision doesn’t say anything directly about me, my business, or my own agenda. That is where the mission comes in. The mission is the particular “means” that I have identified and committed myself to carrying out, in order to achieve the “end” of the vision. Means and ends provide a useful way to differentiate and clarify how to get at these, and start putting them in terms that make sense at personal as well as business levels.
Complete this sentence, in order to get at your particular mission (the means by which you personally will contribute to the change you’d like to see in the world): ” I will work to create this change in the world by….”
For example, my mission is this: “To connect AT-RISK* midlife adults with the inner and outer tools for reclaiming their lives and re-inventing their futures through Internet entrepreneurship and successful home-business ownership. ” Simple. (* AT-RISK of burnout, lay-off, economic collapse, personal and family stress, etc.)
With that foundation in place, I can tease out and articulate additional things like values, core-beliefs, purpose, and strategies for changing the world in that particular way, as I develop more tools for communicating with my audience, customers, etc..
Make sense? I’d love to hear from you about the change you envision in the world, and how you and your business are on a mission to make your vision a reality!
Be amazed and amazing,
P.S. If you’d like to see a REALLY great mission statement, this link will take you directly to the one that inspired me!