Hello friends, how are you all doing on this wonderful Monday? The week has begun once more and we are going at it already with all that we have got. Work has resumed and we hope to achieve something new and tangible this week.
And speaking of work, it will be the inspiration for my post for today. If there is one thing about every person that wakes up in the morning to go out to work every single day, there is one thing they have in common. Even if they do not notice or recognize it. And then, they have this thing just as large institutions do as well.
And what are these things? They are “MISSION” and “VISION”.
As a human that does not live under a rock, you have probably heard those two words being used before. If not alone, there is another way they are phrased; “MISSION STATEMENT” and “VISION STATEMENT”.
These two are basically ideas that are used to drive and propel an individual towards their desired goal. The thing now is that people tend to confuse one for the other, and I will clarify them for you.
The VISION usually talks about what the individual or organization will love to achieve in the coming years. It basically tells everyone what they are aspiring to become. Now, what this does for you is to boost the confidence of people in you. Having a vision gives you a sense of direction so that you will know where to channel your energy and in what amount to channel said energy. When you have a vision, you know where you are going and it gives you the fuel to get there.
The MISSION on the other hand defines what the person or organization does. In a few words, people will know the basics about what really goes on. This is equally important because it tells people what they need to know about you or the organization in a few words. It is usually enough to entice them so they can then decide to make inquiries.
Usually, the vision comes before the mission. As I said earlier, the vision gives you a destination and fuel, but the mission will be the car which you use to get to the desired destination. One cannot function at all without the other.
You may have noticed that I keep using person and organizations as examples when most of the time we see only organizations making use of mission and vision statements. But then, as humans who have purpose and we have a desired destination that floats in our heads, one that only us can see, we also count.
Everyone has a vision of how his life would be in the future, it may come true and it may not, but we dream anyway. Because without that dream, everything we toil hard and work for will have no meaning. It is the vision that makes us wake up every morning and go out into the streets to look for money. It is that same vision that makes us stay out till late working our butt off so that once we get home we are so tired and all we want to do is to sleep. And it is that vision that propels us to wake up the next day as well, and the cycle just goes on.
Likewise, everyone has a mission. Having a vision for your life is never enough, it does not matter how beautiful it is or how elaborate it might be. Without a mission, that vision will never kick-off. That mission can also be called a purpose, a reason for why you were born. Most of the time, it is something you can do so well, and you choose to use it to make your way to your destination.
I have an example below:
VISION STATEMENT:To be the number one writer and blogger in the world in the next ten years.
MISSION STATEMENT:I strive to give the best writing services at the lowest possible price.
N.B: These examples are based on my career as a writer, and the statements are also designed to fit my field. You can choose whatever fits your field as well.
So, my dear friends, do you have a mission and a vision? If not what are you waiting for? You must figure out what they are this instant and write them down. Every day when you wake up and prepare yourself for work, you will remember the words; they will be a source of strength for you. As we all go further into the week, may we all discover our visions and missions and make sure we begin to make moves towards them.
Thank you for reading, till we meet in the next post.