Anchor Your Values, Vision, Mission to Live an Inspired Life
Without an anchor, a ship is dashed against the shoreline and broken to pieces. Even in calm weather, an anchor prevents you from drifting away from your intended safe haven.
What anchors you? What keeps you stable during life’s storms? What is it that you have on board that gives you a sense of security, when you’re moving full steam ahead — that special something you continually refer back to for balance and strength? Your anchor is made up of three elements: your values, vision and mission, in a combination that will be unique to you.
Are you still asking these questions: “Why am I here?” “How can I find meaning in my life?” Do you have nagging feelings of purposelessness, lack of fulfillment and meaninglessness?
Perhaps you’ve been so busy doing things that you haven’t taken the time to reflect on whether or not the things you’re doing really matter in the big picture.
Fundamental to defining your life is defining your values, vision, mission and developing plans for how to actualize them. These won’t come to you automatically.
Values*: These are the activities, behaviors, core principles and ethics that are really important to you… that you value. They are component parts of your life vision.
Vision*: What is the big picture or how do you want your life to be? What do you hope to accomplish? What do you desire in your relationships, business and finances, service to your community, health, recreation, and even possessions?
Mission*: Your Mission is your purpose, what you want to do to manifest your vision.
*Click on the links to read more comprehensive articles about values, vision, and mission.
How to Achieve Your Vision and Mission
Some goals are under your control and some are not. Being wedded to goals that aren’t under your control is a recipe for failure. It’s like dragging a heavy anchor when you want to move full steam ahead.
Also, note that you have internal and external goals. Internal goals are emotional states, while external goals are the means to achieve those states. It’s wisest to focus directly on your internal goals and then your external goals will naturally fall into place.
You, no doubt, have goals around harmony, which are about living in alignment with life and the seasons – these are the goals of traditional hunter/gatherer societies. You also have goals around progress – these are the goals of the civilized world. Both kinds of goals are important for a fully satisfying life.
When you’re planning individual projects that are aligned with your values, vision, mission, it’s helpful to…
Ask the “Dreamer” in you to emerge, freeing your imagination to play.
This big dream can then be referred on to the “Planner” for the process of defining how exactly to proceed.
Then the plan can go to the “Critic” or “Troubleshooter” to make sure there are no objections.
You’ll find that you cycle through these different roles numerous times before you come up with a really good plan. You may need to do extra research, learn new skills, or enlist help from other people to bring your values, vision and mission to fruition.
What’s the best way to keep your emotional energy up? Create a really vivid and compelling prize and think about that often!
Would you like the detailed skills that will help you as an individual to fully develop and define YOUR truly meaningful values, vision, mission and goals? Then I have the roadmap for you!
I’ve documented the processes and systems that have created the greatest impact in my life. Some are seemingly insignificant; some are major breakthroughs. Combined, they form a road map for Stepping Forward into creating my life of meaning and fulfillment. You can now download an Introduction to The Stepping Forward Program. Why not download it, absorb its wisdom, then schedule a free, 30-minute consultation with me? When you’re ready, contact me, and please tell me what part of the download resonated with you the most.
Thank you for the photo Matthew Wheeler.