Vision Statements and Vision boards Ignite Motivation

In this article we talk about why vision statements and vision boards are important in business and why they work.  We are also going to discuss why a vision statement is important and the difference between a vision statement vs mission statement.  Topics on what a vision statement should include and whats a vision statement will also be explained.

I don’t want to complicate things but we will answer the age old question, “is a vision statement important?” and go into greater detail as to exactly why a vision statement versus mission statement are two totally different things.

Let’s get into the nitty gritty…

You are the CEO of your life and you should have a vision statement for your life and professional career.

Many of you have no doubt heard of a mission statement. So what is a vision statement?

Well, for comparison, a mission statement is stating what you do and what your values are while a

vision statement is the change you want to bring about in the world.

The vision statement is what we want the future to look like and your vision statement should state how you want the future to look as apposed to how things are presently.

So why is a vision statement important?

It is important to have a vision of how you want things to change because although we can’t change the past and our influence on the present is limited; with strategic methods, we can bring great changes upon the future if we cumulate our efforts towards a certain outcome.

What should a vision statement include

A vision statement should include visuals. What a suprise right?! No but seriously a vision statement should evoke feelings and motivation for you and your team.  Another reason why vision statements and vision boards are so useful.

As humans, we are highly dependent on our sense of sight. Having a vision statement that allows us to imagine things being better then they currently are is very important for improving moral so that we can move closer and closer towards our goals.

A vision statement should bring about images that excite your team and remind them of their purpose and the change they will bring about.

In your personal life, a vision statement should include your general lifestyle, the relatinships you want to have, the hobbies you excel in, and the things you enjoy doing in your free time.

At work, a vision statement should talk about your goals as if they have already been achieved. When we are able to think of things as already being accomplished it puts us in a positive mindset.

But all this talk about vision statements is great but we are avoiding a much more complex question that needs to be addressed.

 

 

What exactly is vision and why is it important?

Vision is a simple word with very complex implications.

When we talk about vision we are talking about changing the future. This is no small thing. An individual or a company who is capable of changing the future is a powerful and motivated one. This must be understood.

To have vision, we need to see how our efforts add up over days, weeks, months, and years to come. All these effors will work to form a future that otherwise would not have happened. Vision is powerful.

But in order to implement our vision upon the world we need to have a firm understanding of the current state of the world as well as a very comprehensive understanding of our capibilities in this environment.

In this way, someone who is visionary must be realistic as well as imaginative. It is not often that these two qualities are found in one person.

Anyone can write a misison statement because it is easy to know what your mission is. But it is much more difficult to understand in advance how your product or offering will fit into the world and work to change it.

vision statement versus mission statement

A vision statement will know the emotions, the value, and the power in its approach moving forward. If the mission statement is the bread and butter, the vision statement is the chocolate sprinkles and tasty ingredients.

In general, a vision statement is the mission statement at a much higher level of consciousness. It not only knows what, it also knows why and how.

I know all this might be a bit difficult to grasp and I’m not trying to complicate the subject in any way. To the contrary, I am trying to make this as simple as possible but this concept is rarely talked about in a comprehensive way and I’m trying to clarify things that are rarely talked about.

If our mission is to provide great products that improve the life of individuals and companies then our vision is to actually change and transform what is possible for our followers.

Vision implies Risk

Making a change in any area is difficult. We are talking about changing reality. Do you realise the power of changing reality even in a small way? This is very powerful and not a simple accomplishment.

In order to change something, something different must be done. It is easy to change a simple task but much more difficult to change outcomes. This is because changing outcomes requires changing a multitude of tasks over a long period of time with the goal of a specific result. This is no small matter.

If you don’t believe me, try changing anything in your life every day for the next thirty days. You will see how hard it is to change even the smallest thing.

In this way, vision often requires large amounts of risk because it requires many changes. No result is guaranteed and this can inhibit us from taking the consistent and drastic action required to accomplish our Vision.

Because of this, our Vision must motivate us at a very high level if we want it to work. Our vision must be so exciting that it makes all our risk and sacrifice worth the investement. If you want change you must have a Vision and if you have a vision, you must calculate risk and be willing to accept it to move forward.

Our vision must be communicable

Vision is fantastic but if we are the only ones with a vision then our influence will be limited. But if our employees, customers, family, and friends all understand and are able to identify with our vision then we can now function at a much higher level and cooperation.

Not every individual or business has a vision for what they want to create in the future. If you have one in your organisation then you have a very strong asset.

You have a vision, now what?

After you have decided what change you want to bring about and what special characteristics are included in your vision now you need to communicate.

Communicating your vision in various ways will add clarity and direction as you interact with concerned parties. Not everyone will identify or care about your vision and this is natural. Your goal isn’t to convince anyone. Your goal should just be to make things very clear for anyone who potentially is interested in your message and vision.

Your vision should be glaringly clear to anyone looking at your material. Its not a secret, its not hidden messaging. For your vision to remain as pure as possible, you need to live and breath it.

The problem with risk

Having a vision of change is not for the weak. If you aren’t certain then don’t even try. The nature of vision is that it requires all or nothing. Giving 75 percent will not give you the result you are looking for. You have to go all in.

As we discussed earlier, vision is risky. The nature of risk is that nothing is sure. We can bet the odds but in the end, risk is risk. We calculate, we plan, we execute, and after we accept. This is the nature of the game.

If you want more ideas on managing risk you can check out our article overcoming personal weaknesses and the role that risk plays in all this here https://davidmauntz.com/how-personal-weaknesses-can-be-improved-and-overcome/

When you have a vision and when you take risk you need to know that there is a strong change that what you want to accomplish will not actually work. And you need to do it anyways. If you aren’t ready to make this kind of commitement then do yourself a favor and don’t even waste your time.

A Note on Side benefits

Failing to accomplish what you set out for isn’t absolute failure. You need to know that if you do not follow through with your vision that there are very real consequences to this to. The consequences of wondering “what if”. The consequences of knowing that you never had the guts to try what you felt was right. Etc.

But the good news is that even if you fail to accomplish your vision, you need to calculate also what can be gained even from failure. Its not because you fail in this vision that you will fail in the next project. Try to set your vision in line with specific skill sets that you want to learn or competencies you want to develop for the betterment of your future. In this way, even a failure can become a sort of victory.