I been comparing goal setting to a road trip and now that we have kind of figured out where we want to go (our vision) and what we have to get started (our inventory or SWAT analysis) we need to figure out how to get there. I like to break that down into two parts.
The first part is how are we going to travel. I hate to use the words, but it's time for a couple of mission statements. Most mission statements are pretty bad and most of us have been subjected to mission statement after mission statement that sound good, look great on a wall or engraved on a plaque but really seem to miss what is truly important. Consider this about Wendy's mission statements from Guy Kawasaki. So maybe you want to call them mantras and make them really short. I don't care but make sure of the following.
You should have a professional mission statement and a personal mission statement. Your mission statement must inspire and make sense. They should be simple. Your mission statements must be in alignment with your vision and be true to your values. Balance is important and your personal statement and professional statement cannot conflict with each other in any way.
Professional Mission Statement; "Provide high quality meaningful career advice, coaching and counseling to retail executives. Become known as an industry expert and build MyRetailCareer.net into the largest destination for retail executives to seek career knowledge."
Professional Mantra (if you go the Guy way); "Retail Career Guru."
Personal Mission Statement; "Adhere to my personal values of honesty, ethics, and integrity. Put my family first and contribute to the good of our community. Maintain a balance between my personal and professional life and live a fulfilling and healthy lifestyle."
Personal Mantra; "Play nice, live well, make a difference."
These statements, done either way, are simple, consistent with my beliefs and values and balance with each other. See that didn't kill me and it won't kill you either.
Mission statements are the behaviors we display on this road trip. We are going to pay for our gas, drive a clean car, camp in National Forests and clean up after ourselves, phone home and be nice to strangers along the way.
Our last step before putting down actual goals is to define our wants and needs. On our road trip, I need to pay for gas, I want to detour through Yosemite. Look at your wants and needs from different areas in your life.
- Personal
- Professional
- Spiritual
- Fitness/Health
- Financial
- Family
- Material
Keep in mind that wants can become needs and both can change or go away. You might want a bigger house or you might have another child on the way and need a bigger house. Remember, things change and this entire process simply creates a beginning point and gives you an idea of where your target is.
So far, in these three parts, we now understand what goals must be and what they shouldn't be. We know why goals are important and what can stop us from achieving them. We've laid out where we would like to be or go and we have an idea of what we have, what we need and what we are lacking in. We've been brave enough to decide how we are going to act, our mission statements, and we know our wants and needs. Tomorrow we set down some goals on paper.
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