“Vision Statement” is one of those buzzwords that everyone likes to make fun of. If you look at some corporate vision statements, you can certainly understand why! Too often they don’t really mean anything. It’s just a bunch of phrases that some committee threw together. There’s no coherence and no logic to it. That’s exactly the opposite of a vision statement.
A vision statement should be something that tells you not only about the person (or business) but also about their beliefs and aspirations. A good vision statement is something that conveys to the reader the essence of what it is that you want out of life. No one should be able to walk away from your vision statement without knowing who you are and where you want to go. It should define what success means to you.
So, do you need a vision statement? This is a wishy-washy answer, but here it is anyway. Yes. And No.
You need one because you have to be able to see your future before you can begin moving toward it. You have to start thinking about the life you want and the person you will be or you will always drift through life, never really getting anywhere meaningful. So, yes, a vision statement is an essential tool.
That said, some people have such a clear understanding of their vision that it is totally and perfectly internalized already. They don’t need a fully written out statement to be able to see their future. They are sure of themselves, seeming arrogant in the process, and their future,.
Most people aren’t like that thought. Most people need to get their vision down on paper so they can read it and see it in a more concrete form each day. Even those who have so internalized their vision should have a written form of their vision so they can refer to it from time to time.
You should not write a vision statement and never read it again. The reading of it over and over is not to get you to buy into or believe it. If you haven’t bought into it or don’t believe in it, then it’s the wrong vision to begin with. No, the reason we read and reread our vision statements is so we can remain on track. This process will help us keep the big picture in mind and help us check our activities against it.
Doing this also helps us be aware of when we might need to revise the vision statement. People change. Situations change. Dreams and aspirations change. When they do, you need to revise the vision statement so that you don’t become a slave to a future you no longer desire. Blindly following and out of date vision statement and the goals that go with it is one of the best ways to make yourself miserable in life. Be proactive and stay on top of it, but don’t make changes constantly based on how you feel on any given day. Changes should only come after deep contemplation and making sure that the changes are right for you.
