I am brave. I show up. I move forward.
This is the introduction to my personal vision statement I created in May of last year. Prompted by work, this idea resonated strongly with what I was looking for then. Midway through my year of Rhythm, I was still missing the major beats.
At this time, I was co-creating a Growth Mindset training series with my boss. We wanted to instill this idea of having a growth mindset (vs. fixed) into our culture and encourage individuals to know themselves, know where they wanted to go, and have the means to go get it.
During the training we created vision boards; for homework we created vision statements.
This didn’t resonate with everyone but the timing was a bit on the nose for me (a good thing because I was helping lead these trainings and I’m not wonderful at faking enthusiasm).
Why create a vision statement?
To articulate your values; to name who you want to be; to map out where you want to go. It’s a guidepost – much like a word of the year can be – to making decisions that are consistent with the person you are and want to become.
In our day-to-day it’s too easy to lose sight of what’s most important. If you don’t make space for what matters to you in your life, life passes by without what matters.
For me, a vision statement says what matters.
How do I craft a vision statement?
I started with a set of seven questions (from this helpful how-to article on creating personal vision statements):
- Core Values: What are five to ten things you stand by and value most?
- Interests: What are five to ten things you enjoy doing the most? What elevates you? What can’t you live without?
- Areas of Focus: What are the major categories of your life that always need your attention?
- Strengths: What are you naturally good at?
- Dreams: If this was your last day on earth, what would you regret not doing, seeing, or creating?
- Skills: What are three areas you strongly want to cultivate skills in that will in some way enrich your life experience?
- Profession: What are things you must do to feel fulfilled in your work?
Spending time answering some of these questions gave me a platform to build my vision statement. And some of the questions woke me up. For “dreams” (other than writing a novel) I wrote down having a deep circle of relationships. If that was so important to me, what was I doing to strengthen friendships, be vulnerable, and let love in my life?
After going through these questions I landed on this working statement:
I am brave. I show up. I move forward. My mental and physical well-being matters, as does the well-being of others around me. I strive to create spaces for people to connect, motivate, and thrive while living my values every day.
It’s not perfect, but it speaks to where my heart is right now. The introduction especially has become a mantra for me: I am brave. I show up. I move forward.
And like anything, vision statements only work if you make them work: keep them visible and top of mind. I wrote it on my whiteboard at work and return to it in tough moments (should I have the hard conversation? should I give honest feedback? how do I want to respond after being criticized? What can I learn from that mistake?).
Creating a personal vision statement might not be for everyone, but the exercise of reflection and naming what’s important to you is worth your time.
With Love,
Natalie