8.1.3 Mission, Vision and Purpose

The mission statement is a summary of the aims and values of a person.   An example of a mission statement could be:

“My mission is to see people connect back into their integrity so they are able to operate from who they were created to be”.

A mission statement describes what a person wants to do now while a vision statement outlines what this person wants to do and be in the future.  A vision is something that will call you forward for the rest of your life … it isn’t a goal to be achieved, rather a way that you live.  Our vision allows us to more fully express and answer questions about why we do what we do, in the way we do it.

An example of what a combined vision and mission statement could be is:   

“I enable people to explore ways to strengthen the foundations of who they are so they learn to operate from their integrity in a safe and encouraging environment, which then allows them to live as God created them to be.”

The purpose for this person is seeing themself as a foundation strengthening and spiritual bridge builder and this is how they love to serve people.   

When we have clarity on how we want to serve people the way we do it will be a much easier decision to make.  If we take the example of the above person’s purpose and that their passion is as a spiritual bridge builder and foundation strengthening, then if they are considering the idea of being a narrative coach it would be an easier decision to make, given their purpose.

Therefore, their vision could be encapsulated:  

“To live my purpose as a foundation strengthener and spiritual bridge builder, by allowing God’s nature of love, holiness, unity and constancy to establish itself in and through me as I coach people, and to coach them through their narratives so they discover what their stories are, where they are in integrity (and out of it) and how they learn to live as they were originally created to be by God.”

Questions

• What do you wish you spent more time doing?
• What do other people always thank you for?

Exercise

Questions for Purpose Statement:  Do this exercise with one other person.   The first person asks the questions,  writes down the answers and forms them into a statement of purpose (as per the example above), and then the roles are reversed.