Vision Statement Revisited

It’s a cold overcast damp January morning. As I took a walk along the creek, I had time to reflect on my "Vision Statement." I created a Vision Statement" about five years ago, and at least once a year I go back and re-evaluate it to make sure it still fits with my current values and goals. In 2006 I wrote this vision statement after completing the "Vision Mapping Assessment."

My Personal Vision Statement

To find a place
That inspires my spiritual growth;
Where I can develop my ideas;
Speak the truth;
See honestly;
And feel valued.

I was thinking that my "Vision" for honest self-expression might need to evolve and grow by now. As I thought about it, I couldn’t imagine what else to add. Then I realized that this year I had set a goal to put my self-expression and creativity into a well-formed book. That is my challenge. I realized that writing a book was the culmination of my vision for self-expression. I’m
finding out how much work it really is! Looking back at my “Vision Statement” still gives me motivation. to put more time and energy into the work that I planned to do this year.

The next step is to take another look at my strengths. I will go back to my vegetable analogy to identify the strengths I can use to create my book. The next step will be to see what I am missing. Where are my challenges and blocks to accomplishing my goals? What strengths am I lacking? I will look for ways to build my character by using strengths that don’t come naturally to me, and learning skills I need. Then I will look to my network to build a team to support the work that I want to do. If my network doesn’t provide people who have the time and skills needed for this project, I will broaden my network or hire consultants.

The third step is to develop a plan to accomplish my goals. The important part is to make sure my goals fit my vision. Otherwise I could accomplish my goals without fulfilling my purpose. Last year, I thought I needed to build my skills in the area of math. I took an online Intermediate Algebra course and didn’t complete it. I had always thought it would be one of the ultimate challenges in my life to complete Intermediate Algebra. With a Bachelors Degree through the School of Math & Science, and a Master of Science degree, it just seemed like I should complete a course in Intermediate Algebra. Not to mention the fact that my daughter whizzed through the course while she was in high school. But before I finished the course, I realized that I was spending a good deal of my time on a class that I wasn’t interested in, that didn’t fit my vision or purpose, and I really didn’t need. The lesson I learned was that all the determination in the world doesn’t help if I am working on something that doesn’t fit my vision and purpose.


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