Define and Create Your Life: The Value of Mission Statements and Vision Statements

I am, at heart, a writer and an entrepreneur. One of the best things I have found for both aspects of my work is creating clear mission and vision statements. You might say my vision and mission is to be a full-time writer. That’s not enough. You might say my vision and mission is to write 1,000 words per day. That’s not a vision and mission statement; that is a task list. Vision and mission statements are so much more. They are not time-consuming busywork. They are statements of values to which you will adhere and a roadmap you will follow based on your values. Together, they give you grounding and direction. They are important because they inspire the stakeholders in your life (from investors to supporting spouses), employees (and we all have people who answer to us in some capacity, even if it is only our children), and customers (which we all hopefully have in order to keep our business in business or the homelife running well).

A mission statement is not just about you, it's about your audience. It's about the core purpose of why you are doing what you are doing. It details briefly what you do, who is served, and how what you do creates value. By writing these weekly success points that I share with you, my mission statement is to share helpful information to (most of the time) writers, but also others relating to knowledge that I have first-hand that has produced successful results for me to help readers translate these success points into their own lives so that they can maybe avoid the mistakes I have made and go straight into being successful themselves. A mission statement details who you are, your audience, and how you can create value for your audience in your present form, situation, knowledge, and experience. Your audience is not just a passive recipient but an integral part of your mission and vision.

A vision statement is your roadmap to the future. It involves looking into the future and setting ambitious yet achievable goals. It's about envisioning where you want to be in two, five, or ten years and then setting a roadmap to get there. This roadmap should be inspiring, slightly out-of-reach, but also logically doable if you apply yourself. Most importantly, it should align with your present situation and your mission statement, providing a clear path for your future growth.

Regardless of your role, crafting mission and vision statements is a journey of self-discovery and personal growth. I have mission statements for my overarching career, mini-mission statements for specific aspects of my work that I keep to myself, and even mission statements for the kind of family I aspire to have. Every facet of your life can benefit from this reflective (mission statement) and aspirational (vision statement) exercise. It's not just about setting goals, it's about discovering who you are and who you want to become.

To create a mission statement, first name your core purpose by asking yourself what the primary purpose of your business or activity is. Who are your customers (readers?) or others (family members?) who will receive help from your mission? Define what services or products you’ll provide to give these individuals to create value for them, things that are important to them. Then, to ensure this is inherently you at your core, ask yourself what values or principles are driving your decision to create this mission statement in the fashion and wording you are making.

To create a vision statement, look into the future and write down what success will look like for you in a certain amount of time (one, two, five, seven, or ten years), depending upon your vision. If you see yourself thinner, then a plan for what you will look like in one year would be ideal. If you visualize your career, a ten-year plan that can be broken down into smaller steps is the scope within which you need to work. Now that you know what it will look like, consider your vision's effect on you, your family, your customers, your industry, or even the entire world (maybe if your goal is to cure cancer). Knowing the impact, set ambitious but achievable goals. Set the bar high, but not so high that it is a dream rather than a reality. Frame it as things you can control. To be rich and famous is not a goal. It is too ambiguous. There are no checkpoints. It is better to say you will produce one book a year. That goal is quantifiable. Explore by looking deep into yourself and your mission statement to see what specific milestones or achievements define your success. Write these down in your vision statement. Throughout the process, keep referring to your mission statement. If your vision statement comes from the core of who you are, then your mission statement is more realistic and achievable, for you are a unified source connecting both the present (your mission statement) and the future (your vision statement).

Be specific with both your vision statement and your mission statement. Vague wording or goals lead to sloppy results. Don’t write paragraphs. Make both short. Less than fifty words is more than enough. Even shoot for twenty-five words. Define who you are (mission statement) and where you want to go (vision statement) succinctly. If you can say it in an elevator pitch, you know you’ve nailed it. Make it real. Make it engaging for those who might be a part of it so others can buy into your values (mission statement) and your goals (vision statement). And lastly, look at it regularly. Daily is great. It reminds you constantly of what is important to you and where you want to go so that each day is centered on your values and productive in its direction and activities. Use both statements to stay who you are no matter what distractions life throws you. Not all days will be successful and move you forward. Having a mission statement and a vision statement, however, even if you’re “just a writer,” will keep you on task and help you get back into the fast lane on those days when side streets derail you, which they will. Use both documents to inspire those who work or live with you. Engage them. We don’t succeed by ourselves. We grow through teamwork. Get your team excited and help them focus precisely on where they are going with you. This makes for a unified force. Remember, it's not a one-time exercise. Regularly review and update your mission and vision statements to stay aligned with your evolving self and goals.

By creating a great mission and value statement you regularly update as your vision and life change, you’ll provide unexpected and ambitious clarity, direction, and vision for your life and career and those important people around you. You will also be able to share hopes and dreams with those currently in your life and attract future important people who become inspired and want to buy into your mission and vision.

Use the points outlined here and write a mission and vision statement. Use it for thirty days. Then, evaluate if it has changed your life. I already know the answer to that. You already know it, too.