It is safe to say that almost every company, church, non-profit, organization and large person-filled entity has a mission statement. What is less safe to say is that their mission statement accurately reflects their goals, purposes or vision. “To help make every brand more inspiring, and the world more intelligent,” is the beginning of the mission statement for one company. Can you name the product this company specializes in? No? Not so readily apparent? It doesn’t scream ‘stick-on-labels’?? Yeah, not so much. Not only is this mission statement unclear but it doesn’t appear to be rooted in reality either.
This mission statement appears equally powerful and vague (if that combination is even possible.) It reads, “It is our mission to continue to authoritatively provide access to diverse services to stay relevant in tomorrow’s world.” The company that has this mission statement is – no company. This statement was created by typing words into a website called the ‘mission statement generator’ where anyone can enter an assortment of nifty nouns, awesome adjectives, and vivid verbs and allow the system to create the mission statement for them. If you used this site to create your mission statement, I apologize. However, I don’t apologize for emphasizing the importance of creating a statement that clearly indicates where you and those with you plan to go. Everyone functions better when they understand the mission and have clear vision.
There is a difference between a vision and a mission statement. Vision inspires purpose while mission informs purpose. Think about it like this. The vision is concerned with what do you see? The mission is concerned with what will you do? Unfortunately, vision statements often tend to experience the same poorly thought out composition. It is recorded that a man named Habakkuk wrote, “Write the vision and make it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it.” The vision is not as much for the visionary as it is for those that follow the visionary. Whether you are head of a church, a corporation, a school, a sports team, or a family it is important for everyone to have a clear understanding of the vision so that they may run well.
Imagine you were on a field and saw a goal at the other end about 100 yards away. Then imagine you put a blindfold over your eyes and ran towards that goal. Even with no obstacles on the field and with no external interference you will still arrive at the goal off track or not at all. Why? Because you can’t see where you’re going. Knowing where you should go and seeing how to get there are two different things. If you really want to ‘get there’ you should have a vision statement. It’s not a vision until it’s written. Before it’s written it is just wishful thinking. This might seem strange to some but I wrote out a vision statement for my family with core values and scriptures to support it. Then I shared it with my wife for her approval because if we don’t all agree then it won’t come to pass. What is your vision for your family, church, organization or team? Have you written it down? Have you shared it?
In order to complete your purpose on this earth I hope you see by now that is imperative for you to have a clearly written vision statement. Let’s also clarify the difference between vision and purpose. Purpose is what you are designed and created to do. Vision is the roadmap you’ve created or been given to complete the assignment. Vision affirms (confirms, supports, upholds) purpose and purpose facilitates (expedites or enables) vision. Yes, you were born with a purpose. That does not relinquish you from the requirement to seek out the vision for implementing that purpose. You and I still need to pray, plan and then proceed. The person that lives or leads without clear vision is destined to fail or fall short.
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