Today I'm going to talk about vision. Not seeing with your eyes, but seeing with your mind.
There are lots of articles about business vision and mission statements, but this article is about personal vision statements, although it can also apply to your small business.
This is part of an ongoing series, last week I talked about goals, objectives, activities, tasks and strategies (GOATS) and this series will continue with
I thought I saw a pyramid that also included activities, tasks and strategies but I'm not able to find it again.
What is a personal vision statement?
A personal vision statement is a short statement, maybe a paragraph or less, that describes where you want to be at some future point. It can describe who you will be as a person, what you want to be doing, with whom and where. It can also be described as a personal growth statement.
You can pick any point in the future…next month, next year, 5 - 10 years down the road. Or as Stephen Covey says in "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People"
What does he mean by "Begin with the end in mind"? Imagine that you're watching your own funeral. Who will be there? What will they say about you? What do you want to have accomplished during your lifetime? How will you be remembered? These are the questions you'll want to answer to prepare your long term vision statement. But long term is relative…if you're in your 20's long term can be 50 years in the future, but if you're in your 50's or 60's long term can be 5 - 10 years.
An end of life vision statement is probably a good thing to have, but I'm going to be writing about something more short to intermediate term, what I call your 2020 Vision. Where do you see yourself in the year 2020, which is just over 5 years away?
Even though the vision statement describes a future time, it is written in the present tense, as if it's happening now. The use of "I am" statements is very powerful.
The Process of the “I AM” – Excerpts from Promptings
“When you create an “I AM” statement, visualize it, and state your compelling “why,” your subconscious mind goes into action delivers exactly what you tell it. You have all heard the saying, “You better be careful what you wish for because you might get it.” It’s amazing how true those words are. When you write these statements, make sure you know what you are saying because that is exactly what you will get. Write your statements, visualize them as best as you can, state your “whys” using all the senses, and keep sending yourself this message over and over.” – Kody Bateman
Here are a couple of tools to help you get started
http://www.mentoringgroup.com/personalv1.html and
http://www.mentoringgroup.com/personalv2.html. The second includes a sample personal vision statement to give you some ideas.
Here is a rough draft of my personal 2020 vision statement
I am retired from my 35+ year career with AT&T. I'm traveling around the world teaching others about the SendOutCards business opportunity. My job is my vacation so I get to spend time with my friends, wherever they may be in the world because I have the time and financial freedom to visit them. I am loving my happy and fit lifestyle.
This was just off the top of my head…I haven't followed the activities in the links above, so there may be some changes made.
Please feel free to share your 2020 vision statement by leaving a comment below.
Interesting days
Posts
