Powerful Mission and Vision Statements
Last year, I attended a seminar where the attendees
were asked to define their personal mission
or purpose in one sentence. Out of a group of
about three hundred people, fewer than a dozen
were able to articulate a mission statement.
It's not that living with purpose is a low
priority for most of us. Research by Richard
J. Leider and David Shapiro, authors of Repacking
Your Bags, found that the number one deadly
fear of most people is "having lived a
Why, then, does writing a mission statement
seem like such a daunting task?
I believe the main reason lies in the lack
of practical resources. Though you can avail
yourself of prolific advice about writing mission
statements from management experts and from
books, the Internet, and so forth-most of this
information is complex and confusing. Also,
most of these resources target corporations
and organizations, providing little practical
advice for an individual who wants to craft
a personal mission statement.
When you were a child you probably learned
how to start a fire by focusing sunlight through
a magnifying glass. Sunlight alone could not
start the fire; it had to be focused through
the magnifying glass. This reflects a basic
principle of solar energy-though a large amount
of sunlight falls on the earth, the light is
diffused. For the sun to be utilized for heating,
solar energy units must be designed to collect
and concentrate the light.
The same principle applies to purpose. It must
be focused to produce results. With no focus,
there is no mechanism for establishing direction
Writing mission and vision statements will
provide the focus you need to reach your goals
Your Personal Mission Statement
What is a mission statement? Since the focus
of this article is on personal life purpose,
as opposed to a corporate or organizational
purpose, let's use the following definitions:
Mission Statement: Concise statement
of your life purpose.
Vision Statement: Concise statement
of the unique and distinctive ways that you
will accomplish your purpose.
The first place to start is your mission statement.
Think of your mission statement as a general
statement encompassing your reason for existence-in
other words, a broad statement of what you hope
to accomplish. It does not include the distinctive
ways that you intend to accomplish your purpose;
that will be articulated in your vision statement.
Before you develop your mission statement,
it is important to understand what a mission
statement is not. It is not a to-do list. Nor
is it a statement of strategies or methods.
It is not a job description. Jobs and roles
change through life's different seasons; purpose
embodies a broad vision that encompasses all
You may not see a clear picture right now,
and that's fine. Relax. Don't sweat it. Enjoy
In other words, your mission statement is not
written in stone. You can and should revisit
it periodically. Most likely you will revise
and fine-tune it time and again. Don't be concerned
about whether it is precisely accurate. Pray
and ask God to lead you in this endeavour.
Take time out from your busy schedule to prayerfully
reflect on your personal mission, as you understand
it at this point on your journey. Look at the
big picture, and ask yourself questions like,
Who am I? Why am I here? What are my desires
and dreams? What is my mission, or purpose?
Defining your purpose should be a stimulating
and motivating exercise. It should stir enthusiasm
Many people feel that purpose must relate to
a vision of achieving something of great magnitude
or something that affects a nation or even the
entire world. But purpose does not necessarily
involve grandiose ideas.
I like what Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said,
"Everyone has the power for greatness-not
for fame but greatness, because greatness is
determined by service."
Defining your passions within a larger context
will help you articulate your purpose. What
do you love doing? What stirs joy, enthusiasm,
and motivation? Evaluate these passions within
a larger context of service to others. Considering
how you can use your gifts and passions to serve
others will help you define your mission.
Now get out some paper or your Palm Pilate
or laptop or whatever communications gadget
you like best, and begin drafting your mission
statement. Keep revising it until you can define
it in one clear, concise sentence.
Here is my mission statement: "To inspire
and equip women to reach their divine potential."
Notice that this statement does not include
the specifics of how I will accomplish my mission.
It says nothing about the unique and distinctive
strategies I will employ for achieving my purpose.
Your Vision Statement
Your vision statement adds the all-important
how. It defines the distinctive and specific
ways that you will accomplish your mission.
Your vision statement propels your mission
to specific strategies. Specifying the primary
activities you will pursue to accomplish your
purpose, it reflects your unique passions, talents,
personality traits, experience, and skills.
You should be able to define your vision statement
in one concise paragraph. The first sentence
of this paragraph is your mission statement.
The next one or two sentences specify how you
will accomplish your mission.
Your vision statement will evolve over time,
reflecting your character development and the
acquisition of more skills and experience.
At one time, my vision statement read as follows:
"To inspire and equip women to reach their
divine potential. This will be accomplished
by writing articles and books and by speaking
at conferences and seminars."
As time went on, I revised my vision statement
to the following: "To inspire and equip
women to reach their divine potential. This
will be accomplished by writing articles, columns,
books, and e-books; by publishing an online
women's magazine; and by speaking at conferences
Notice that the first sentence (my mission
statement) did not change. The next sentence,
which encompasses how I will achieve my mission,
Thousands of other women may have the same
mission statement as mine but have different
vision statements reflecting their unique gifts
For example, one woman might reach the same
mission as mine through counselling. Her vision
statement might read something like this: "To
inspire and equip women to reach their divine
potential. This will be accomplished through
Another woman might have a vision statement
like this: "To inspire and equip women
to reach their divine potential. This will be
accomplished by coaching women in leadership
and business management skills."
Can you see how the vision statement encompasses
uniqueness and specificity? It is the vision
statement-not the mission statement-that reflects
your unique gifts and strategies.
Your vision statement serves as a compass to
keep things going in the right direction. It
helps you measure your progress, set goals,
establish priorities, and know when to use one
of the most important words in your vocabulary:
One of my favourite movies is Apollo 13. I
never fail to be inspired by the courage and
resourcefulness of the astronauts amid unimaginable
pressure and seemingly impossible odds. On top
of a litany of other crippling technical problems,
the astronauts were faced with the reality that
their oxygen could run out, they could be poisoned
by carbon dioxide accumulations, or they could
freeze to death. Even if they managed to return
to the earth's atmosphere, they had to enter
at precisely the right angle.
If you've seen the movie, you'll recall there
were many decisions and actions that contributed
to their successful landing. One of those actions
was ensuring they kept the earth in sight at
all times, for they had lost their navigational
In the same way, your vision statement will
keep you moving in the right direction. It will
help you stay focused on the big picture, even
when facing emotional upheaval, discouragement,
obstacles, and all the other distractions that
life throws at you.
Mission and vision statements provide focus
to your purpose. As Henry David Thoreau said,
"In the long run men only hit what they
Judy Rushfeldt is an author,
speaker, and online magazine publisher who has
been writing for 25 years. Her passion is to
inspire and equip women to reach their dreams.
Her latest book, Making Your Dreams Your Destiny
- - a woman's guide to awakening your passions
and fulfilling your purpose, is now available
in quality bookstores. To read more about this
book, including a sample chapter, or to order
online, click here: MakingYourDreams.com