Developing a Personal Vision and Mission - Corporate Style (Part 2)
This post continues on developing a personal vision statement using the method at this link. Part 1 is here.
Top Five to Six Values
In order to determine my top values, I took a look at The Foundation for A Better Life’s website. You may have seen some of their ads in airports or on billboards. There are some pretty interesting values, along with short biographies of people that exemplify them. After looking through their 53 values (all of them good), I chose the following that most align with my personal values:
1. Ambition. Continually striving to be a better person, and to achieve success in life.
2. Hard Work. This is one of the key values I want to pass on as a father. Good things in life take hard work to achieve.
3. Integrity. Being dependable, honest, trustworthy, etc, are core elements of what makes me who I am.
4. Learning. As noted in Part 1 of this post, continual learning keeps my brain challenged and life interesting.
5. Optimism. I’m a very positive person, and can usually find the good in any situation.
6. Vision. This value is about determining your life’s dreams and working to achieve them, both personally and professionally.
Goals for Each Facet of Life
The facets of life listed in this method align pretty well with my initial brainstormed list that I’ve created previously. For this iteration, I’m going to stick with each of my own categories and set a broad goal for each. Normally I’d follow the SMART approach to goal definition, but I think general goals are more appropriate for this effort.
Continuous Learning. Continue to learn new things, particularly those that help me achieve my broader personal improvement objectives.
Travel. Take a major vacation every two years, while enjoying smaller trips and business travel in between. Experience the local culture as much as possible.
Career. Leverage my skills to make significant contributions in my professional life, while maintaining good balance with my personal life.
Family. Be a good father and husband, and ensure that the rest of my family knows how I feel about them.
Health / Fitness. Maintain a healthy lifestyle in order to live a long and fulfilling life.
Personal Finance. Plan for the future while enjoying the present.
Relationships/Community. Keep up with my old friends and make new ones, and give back to the community in ways that are consistent with my values.
Entertainment. Stop and smell the roses once and awhile, don’t let my desire for personal achievement get in the way of having fun.
If I Didn’t Have to Work, What Would I Do?
This question reminds me of Office Space (one of my favorite movies) when the guys are talking about what they would do if they had a million dollars and didn’t have to work. Samir says he would invest his money (versus doing something fun or different with his life). For me, I would probably travel a lot of the time, visiting friends, family, and new places. I still would need to make a contribution to society by developing something or solving challenging problems. I don’t think I could travel all the time. I’d also want to spend a lot of time mentoring and teaching others.
What Will I Regret at the End of My Life?
Good question. Right now I can say there is little I would regret. *But*, there is always a voice in my head wondering if what I am doing now and what I plan to do in the future is really the *right* plan. This probably isn’t the best way to look at things, but this is likely what drives my desire for personal improvement.
What Are My Strengths and Weaknesses?
Strengths - interpersonal skills, ability to coordinate/facilitate diverse teams of people, integrity, empathy for others
Weaknesses - a little too analytical at times? (duh! - this blog proves the point), difficulty in following through with plans
Next step - combine all of the above information into a personal vision statement. See the next post for details.