Having a success-filled life begins with a vision then a mission and a dose of passion!
I believe that at any age we need to step back and take stock of where we are at, then what we’d like for our lives moving forward and the then a plan as to how we are going to get there!
But to start, you need a vision and a mission…A vision describes where you want to go in the next few years…I want to have a successful coaching/consulting learning company working with clients to help them realize their passions and do the work they love and do it well!
That is my vision, I want to do well, to serve many, to be financially stable, healthy, happy and well…
You need to know where you are going if you are going to get there!
A vision is about what you want in the future, what is it that you want to achieve? What does it look like over yonder in 2-5 years from now?
If you want to live a good life…set goals, have a vision, put your passions and gifts into action! Get involved in life…have a cause, tap into your passion…I see a world and people that need so much help, guidance and healing, that for you to rest now is unfathomable, there is so much healing and work to be done!
Mission Possible:
Aside from a vision and your passion…you want to develop a mission. A mission sets the stage for what outcome someone will get from working with you. In a personal context, you can host a dinner party and the mission for it might be that the guests will have a great dining experience, while having fun and enjoying great conversation and humour!
That is a mission…it is about what someone can expect to have happen. In a business context, your mission might look like this; “We sell shoes that women can buy so that they feel confident, comfortable and sexy in them, when they buy our shoes, they will become their now favourite pair every time out”!
So set a goal around the outcome of your work, dinner party, event, volunteer work, whatever it is you do, set a mission or goal around it…it will be the thing that drives you!
You might have a big vision, that’s great, but sometimes you have to modify the vision. You just might have to scale back—at least for a little while, especially when you are just starting out.
For example, you might dream of opening a retail gift store but with that comes a lease, inventory, advertising costs, heat, hydro, phone, Internet, packaging supplies—the list of your costs is as long as your right arm.
So, you’ve got to ask yourself if you can afford it all. And if you just can’t then scale back, start smaller, consider a joint venture—team up with someone else who might be open to sharing their space and contacts; they might even be open to sharing the costs of your start-up.
I worked with a business owner who had a big vision to open a gift store but the costs and the challenge of finding a good location were big obstacles to overcome. This client had money to invest (about $35,000) and could obtain financing at a bank but when it came down to the concept for the store or the kinds of gifts she’d focus on she drew blanks.
The coaching she got was to scale back. I suggested she begin smaller. I advised her to begin with a gift basket company that she could run out of her home and steadily build a client base. Once that client base hit a critical mass then she could begin to look for a location for her clients to come to. A home-based business was still along the lines of her vision but the expenses and risk were much lower. She would have the ability to “grow” into the big vision over time without risking her assets and possibly her confidence. You see having a vision isn’t all just airy fairy stuff…it’s about tapping into your own inner wisdom to know how far you want to go. Take baby steps, know your risk tolerance, have a plan and set little goals along the way. If you’re driving from one end of the country to the other you don’t expect to get there immediately. You make the trip in bite size chunks, stopping along the way, enjoying the trip and all the towns, the scenery and the people.
WORKSHOP – Your Turn
Ok, it’s time to do some work…
- How can you create time for more balance in your life?
- Who can you get to help you with the various aspects of running your business that you don’t really have a passion for or care to do?
- Who can mentor you?
- When will you have completed these three things?
