Vision statements, goals
When I went to leadership training at the Rotary Youth Leadership Award (RYLA) camp in the summer between my junior and senior year of high school, I was given the task upon receiving the award of writing a personal mission statement. It sounded like a simple task, and like the “A” student I was, I ripped one out in 20 minutes. Printed and stapled, I brought it to camp at the University of Minnesota-Crookston, and (internally) I wondered why many kids just had drafts, or working vision statements.
It wasn’t until I went back as a junior facilitator the next year, and three years after that when I returned as a facilitator, that I actually had the “aha” moment, and understood what a vision statement is all about. When I had to explain to the students in my family group what a vision statement is and why to have one, that I clicked, and decided to start writing (well scribbling) my firestorm of thoughts.
The Franklin Covey series, and actually Sean Covey (his son), really push the seven steps for highly effective people (teens).
I don’t want to steal the seven steps, and plagiarize them, but in paraphrased-summation, I really believe the essence of the steps is the notion to have a vision, a goal, and that in order to achieve your goal, with whatever you do, you must keep true to your ideals, and what you originally set out to achieve. Back to your roots, quintessentialism, whatever you want to call it- keep your vision in your conscious and subconscious mind, and very close to your heart. Be willing to flex, and flow with the punches that life’s obstacles throw your way, and adapt. But through it all, remember it’s your vision. You have to be happy with what you are currently doing, and where things are going. With your life, with a project; it really transcends all areas of your life.
And with this, I challenge you:
Can you write a mission statement for your life? What do you want to do? Are you taking steps everyday to achieve it?
Small, medium, and large steps. Short term goals like starting to eat better, and long term goals like travel the world, climb a mountain, or solve a worldwide problem.
I am going to revisit that personal mission statement I drafted last summer, just a month shy of a year ago from today, and see what I’ve done, and what I still need to do. You have to be on-track with yourself before you can think about getting a project for someone else (or with someone else) in order.
