Defining what you want to achieve for a better future
ONE of the most important tasks you can do to ensure your success is to define your purpose, and identify what you ultimately want to achieve in life, including your career.
One would think that this kind of exercise is reserved only for companies and large corporates, communicated to employees by means of their mission and vision statements.
But if these statements are so important to the future growth and strategy of a company, why as individuals do we not take the time to complete the exercise for ourselves?
Have you ever thought about what your personal growth strategy is?
By having a personalised mission and vision statement, it keeps us focused, gets us through dark days and, is a constant reminder when faced with challenges of what the bigger picture is.
It makes us realise that achieving our goals is possible.
We all have our own idea about what success means to us.
If only we realised how important it is to take the time to define what we want to achieve and what we perceive as success, it would make achieving our goals easier and worthwhile.
How else do we know what we should be working towards?
How will we know if the decisions we need to make are working towards achieving our goals – or against our goals?
What one man’s interpretation of success may be is another man’s view of failure.
With no magic formula to follow, where does one start?
In business, as it is in life, if it’s not in black and white, it never happened. And if it is not written in black and white, it probably never will happen.
I believe in the good old-fashion handwriting method works best. Yes, we live in a digital age where it is eas ier and faster to type than write, but the purpose of the exercise is to take the time to sit and think about what you really want to achieve – and how you plan on doing it.
Doing this the old-fashioned way, in your own handwriting, gives it more meaning. The old saying – “if you fail to plan, you plan to fail” comes to mind.
To create your Mission statement – ask yourself specific questions relating to your purpose and what you want to achieve in your career and or in your life.
Take a look at your goals, identify what your strengths are and what your idea of success is. What is that one goal that you are determined to achieve, no matter what?
For example: My mission is to become the regional sales manager of Connect IT by September 1 2017.
I will do this by empowering my colleagues, helping them grow their existing client base, providing affordable solutions to client’s needs, and exceeding sales targets, in a creative and successful way.
As regional sales manager, I want to feel that I am a valued employee and my earning potential of a minimum of R25 000 -a-month will reflect my success.
Your Vision statement is made up of what your core values are in life and how you will use these to achieve your mission. When reading your vision statement, it should energise and motivate you to want to achieve your goals and let no one or nothing stand in your way.
For example: My vision is, I will be successful in my position as the regional sales manager at Connect IT.
I will set the example for my colleagues, never allowing my integrity to be questioned, always treating clients and colleagues fairly and with respect.
Connect IT’s sales team will be a force to be reckoned with, and will be the authority in providing IT solutions to the Eastern Cape.
Once your personalised mission and vision statements are finished, place them within easy reach and always ensure you are able to see these on a regular basis, every day if possible, to remind you of what and how you will achieve your goals.
Make your mission and vision statements meaningful to you and they will be a constant reminder of what you want to achieve – and the motivation to achieve it.
Every time you perform this exercise, your mind will be opened to all the new possibilities you can achieve. You can never spend too much time on self-development.
Once you have completed your personal mission and vision statements, once you know that you can achieve anything you put your mind to, you will be more focused and have the motivation to achieve your goals.
For the past eight years, we have assisted many well-known and established SMME’s, entrepreneurs, business owners and professionals take their business to the next level of success, by empowering individuals and teams with necessary business skills and knowledge.