Tuesday, 1 May 2012

Step 5 - Creating a Personal Vision

In business, good leadership means good vision: a successful business must have a clear vision of its aims and purpose. And, like a business, we, too, should have a “vision statement” in order to lead and manage our lives effectively.
Your Personal Vision Statement is a concise expression of your philosophy, beliefs, and vision of what you want your life to be about. A clear vision statement says directly – and helps you focus on – what you want to be and do.
In this exercise, you’ll take the first steps toward writing your personal vision statement. You won’t have to write a finished essay; all you need to do for now is jot down some ideas, and make a list of what you’d like to do and who you’d like to be.
Before you begin writing, take some time just to think about it. Ask yourself: What contributions would I like to make? How would I like to be remembered? What effect would I like to have on people? What do I want my life to “add up to?”

Go slowly; these questions are important to you.
There are no “wrong” statements, so don’t get hung up or too self-critical here; let this just be your own personal vision of how you’d like your world to look.
To help you get started, I have provided a few examples. After reading them, let your imagination run free and think about what your fondest desires and deepest hopes would look like if they became real in your life.
 What would you like to be? : Examples- Gourmet chef; Civic leader; Loving father/mother; Musician; Computer wizard; Someone others rely on; A person of my word; Well-liked; Someone who organizes volunteering events; Trustworthy
 What would you like to do?- Examples- Climb mountains; Run a marathon; Write a best-selling book; Retire by age 50; See my grandchildren graduate college; Become a minister; Serve the poor; Learn to paint; Learn a foreign language; Live in a foreign country; Pay off my mortgage; Run for public office; Own my own company.
After you’ve made some notes, look over the lists you’ve compiled. These are the things that are important to you now.
Take your notes and start shaping your vision statement. Without a vision, we perish. If you can't see yourself winning that award and feel the tears of triumph streaming down your face, it's unlikely you will be able to lead yourself or others to victory. 
Visualise what it would be like accomplishing your dream. See it, smell it, taste it, hear it, feel it in your gut.
Heres a link to help you on your way to writing your own personal vision statement

WRITING A PERSONAL VISION STATEMENT by Dr. Linda Phillips-Jones

5 comments:

  1. Leadership and gardeners have quite a lot in common....They never stop shaping and the passion to continue planting and cultivating growth is the core focus.
    I wonder if the everyday gardener sees himself as a leader though?

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    1. I Like this analogy well done good to see you're thinking outside the box and looking for other examples to illustrate how effective leaders think.

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  2. I have always wanted to put pen to paper and creat a vision statement that would truly express some of the passions and goals I have. I guess I've never thought of of it actually achieving anything or perhaps it could be a fear of failure that has prevented me from ever doing so. Yeah it's the risk factor that freaks me out!!
    I would imagine that when I do wright one it would be in the hope that I could have the same measure of courageous leadership that "Col Winters" from band of brothers had when leading his paratroopers to war.

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  3. Have a go at a Personal Vision statement... nothing to loose take the risk. the learning environment is a safe place to start. Let me know if you need any help in formulating it but it all starts with you. good luck :)

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  4. I think that a personal vision is one of one of the most important parts of managing a business. If you have a vision you have a goal. This vision may change but it gives you the initial direction that you want to take the business. Without a clear vision it is impossible to direct to what you want to achieve which will cause confusion.

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