Find your purpose, develop a vision define your mission

I’d like to define a few terms before we begin. There are a ton of articles and books out there in the coaching, self help, and business worlds that talk about purpose, mission, and vision. It’s become an entire industry and touches on things like mission statements, vision statements, corporate purpose, and all kinds of marketing and brand development mumbo jumbo. Don’t worry about that noise, I’m going to break it down the concepts for you as simply as possible. 

What is purpose?

The dictionary definition of purpose is “the reason for which something is done or created or for which something exists.” I think of purpose as what gets you up in the morning and what drives you through a tough day. It is your reason for being, your “why”.

A purpose can be as lofty or as simple as you want. There is no right or wrong. If simply being a good mom or dad to your kid is what gets you through the day, then that’s your purpose. If bringing joy to others is what gets you up in the morning, that’s an awesome purpose too. 

Over time, your purpose is likely to morph into something else, or completely change. This is fine, and absolutely natural. Think about it, we change over the course of our lives, and when major life changes happen, so do our priorities and our purpose. Let’s say your purpose was to be a great parent to your kids but then they grow up. Being in your 70’s and worrying about being a good parent to your adult children is probably not going to be your purpose anymore. Eventually, your purpose and priorities will shift. 

What is mission?

A mission is all about what you do. Let's say you happen to be a chef and your purpose is to bring others joy. How do you do that? Your mission would likely be to bring people joy by cooking memorable meals that are an experience unlike any other. 

If your purpose is to be a good mom or dad to your kids, then your mission would be to be a good mom or dad to your kids by making them feel loved, supported, and safe. 

Your mission is your overarching task, it is what you do to you activate your purpose. 

What is vision?

Your vision is the big picture, or the story in your mind that gives your purpose a concrete shape and a path forward. It gives you an idea of how to achieve your purpose. 

In sport, we visualize our intended goal and the path to it; we visualize sinking the big putt, draining the buzzer beater, winning the race. I do it all the time when I’m trying to lift a heavy weight, I have to visualize it beforehand. Vision is your roadmap. Without a vision, it’s like you’re just feeling around in the dark.

Why does any of this matter?

I was a skeptic of this stuff. It sounds like business school B.S., marketing mumbo jumbo. I wouldn’t blame you for thinking all of this is just fluff. I certainly did, and it was even my central focus in grad school. The thing is though, understanding purpose, mission, and vision is crucial if you want to absolutely crush it in life. 

Without a purpose, a clearly defined mission, and a vision, you’ll be wandering around aimlessly in life, wasting your energy, and getting nowhere. This is how things were for me; I had vague dreams, but no concrete mission or purpose. Luckily for me, things have changed. Now my purpose, mission, and vision are clear and I’m finding I have far more energy than before, I’m far more motivated than before, and I feel like I have no limits to what I can do. In fact, when you have your purpose, mission, and vision all aligned, and you’re taking action, it is very likely you will find yourself in a state of flow (I know, it’s another buzzword, but bear with me).

Being in a state of flow, or being in the zone, is the feeling of absolute focus and immersion in a particular task, where time seems to move at a different pace and there is nothing stopping you. This is the state that a top-tier athlete might find him or herself in during a big game, or the state that a virtuoso might find himself in during a performance. An inventor or designer might find themselves in a state of flow while creating a new product. Likewise, a surgeon might find himself in a flow state during a crucial operation. You get the idea.

I argue that nailing down your purpose, mission, and vision creates the necessary conditions to harness the incredible power of the human body and mind. Everyone has heard that anecdote “Do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life”. I don’t believe that to be true, and I think it’s kind of disingenuous. I love cooking, for example, but there’s no way I’d be happy doing that day in and day out as a job. It’s too narrow of a focus, and it doesn’t get to my purpose. It would still just be a job.

Alternatively, if you identify your purpose, and you work your ass off executing your mission and vision, you won’t feel like it’s a job. You will definitely work hard, probably harder than you ever worked before. Starting Nicely Fit Co has been the most exhausting, challenging, and frightening thing I’ve ever done. There are some nights I go home drained, some nights I go home and want to cry, some night I go home and I do cry. I’ve been more tired than ever. But I’ve also felt more alive than ever, more complete than ever, and even when I’m tired and feel beat down, this is WAYYYY better than going to some office where I’m never going to reach my potential. It’s way more than a job. Hard work yes, but definitely not just some job, it’s much more. And that’s the whole point of this work. It’s about unlocking human potential. 

Where do we go from here?

In my next article, I’m going to discuss ways to find purpose and vision, and define your mission. There are so many paths to take, whether it is a process of self reflection, working with a priest or spiritual advisor, working with a great coach, or simply trial and error. Once we have that out of the way we will discuss how to set goals and crush life!