Dec 18 2008
Not being afraid of “Vision”
This evening I’m working on the “Vision, Mission, Objectives” part of the business plan. I discovered I had actually taken out our vision in the most recent version of the plan, I think because I felt a bit bashful about wearing my heart so openly on my sleeve.
What’s a vision and why should we have one?
As Social Business Consulting explains in their post about Vision and Mission:
Writing your vision is your opportunity to think BIG! In fact you can do more than think, you can dream. What will the world (or at least the bit of the world that you’ll have an impact on) look like once you – and others like you – have worked your magic?
So if you’re a recycling business, your vision might be “a zero-waste economy”. Or if you run a crime-reduction initiative, it might be “No crime – and no fear of crime – in our area.” Or, to think a bit bigger, if you were running the United Nations, your vision might be “a more peaceful, prosperous and just world.”
Think big – when things get difficult it will help to be reminded why you do what you do (and what joins you to other people who share similar visions). A well-defined vision can also inspire other people to join you and help you to work towards your vision.
I tend to worry people will think I’m away with the faeries if I talk too much like this. But at the end of the day, worrying about what Everybody Thinks is always a waste of time. Malcolm’s much better about letting his passion shine!
Touchwood Project’s Vision
So here’s our newly reinstated vision, something Malcolm and I wrote months ago when we first started up:
We imagine a world where people wake up smiling, eager to start every single day. We have developed our unique talents and are using them to make our lives better and our communities places we happily call “home”.
We have plenty of friends and family we spend time with, work so perfect we can’t believe we get paid for it. We know we have enough financially and are healthy. We live in a way that gives, not takes, something good to the planet and its people.
It may be cheesy, but it’s MY cheese, and it’s what keeps me going, writing the next grant application, doing the financial projection again.
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Hi Rachel
I understand you, I too sometimes worry too much about what other people will think and therefore hide my true feelings and thoughts.
I try to keep this quote from Dr Suess in mind …
“Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.”
Laura
xx