Mission Statement

Most business advisers will say that a business should have a mission statement in order to be successful. A mission statement is basically what the business will accomplish, it's goal. A successful business will start with a mission statement, expanded into a clear, easy to follow plan. This is a good idea for individuals wishing to accomplish a goal as well. Saying: “I want to lose weight”, “I want to get out of debt”, or even “I want to get in better shape”, are great mission statements. However just saying it doesn't make it happen without having a clear path of accomplishment. Good intentions are like balloons, they float away if we don't take action to hold on to them. Plans followed with determination will make those good intentions reality instead of just fleeting visions.

The more precise the mission statement the easier the goal is to see. “I will lose weight” is not as clear as, “I will lose 30 pounds”. Once the goal is clear then a plan will make the path to success one that can be seen and followed. Staying with the goal of losing weight a good plan might start with not what will be eaten but will no longer be eaten. Most plans require changes in habits. For example snacking late in the evening then going to bed is a good habit to change. Replacing that habit with a healthier one will help to accomplish the desired goal of losing weight. People who successfully do lose weight and keep it off did not just accomplish a goal but made a life style change.

Our lives are filled with desires that a need clear vision and then planning to achieve. I have experienced that process myself. There is a program for prior military service members called, Troops to Teachers. I decided when I retired that I wanted to become a teacher but in order to qualify for that program I needed to take and pass the teacher qualification exams. I hadn't been to school in about 15 years so taking those exams would be very difficult. The subjects that my degree would allow me to teach were in the humanities fields: History, Economics, Sociology and Psychology. So to achieve success I bought the text books for each subject and read nothing but them for the next three months. Following that plan as well as remembering what I had learned during my class time helped me to pass those tests and achieve a teaching certification. Even though I chose a different path because of a job offer that was to good to turn down.

The best goals result in life style changes. Goals that are are just empty promises to ourselves accomplish nothing.

It's not just a step, it's a start.

Dave