Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/655323
The Art of Manliness Continued JOBS for TEAMS | 12 www.jobsfor teams.com but because it's an ideal, you'll never entirely arrive at it. Visions are often harder to put into words than goals because you have to describe a world that doesn't yet exist. When you put your vision into words, the end result is a "vision statement." Vision statements can be short and pithy, or long and verbose. When companies come up with vision statements, they usually go for the former. For example, Microsoft's vision statement at one point was: "A computer on every desk and in every home; all running Microsoft software." John F. Kennedy laid out a longer vision for the space program in his speech at Rice University in 1962. He didn't just announce a concrete goal (going to the moon), but painted a picture of a country that was deeply interested in the mysteries of the universe and dedicated to using technological progress to ascend to a brighter future. When you come up with your own personal vision statement, it can be something as short as, "I will be physi- cally strong and skillfully capable in all aspects of my life so that I am able to improve the lives of my family and everyone I encounter." Or it can span several pages in which you describe in detail what your ideal life looks and feels like. Whether short or long, what all vision statements have in common is they describe how an ideal life would be. The Benefits of Focusing on Visions Over Goals Having goals or a vision isn't an either/or proposition — you should have both. But there are a few rea- sons why you should focus more on your vision than your individual goals: Goals Lack Deeper Meaning; A Vision Provides Purpose and Significance I love goals. Whenever I set goals for myself, I make measurable strides in my life. But something I've noticed is that when I become too goal fo- cused, things in my life actually start to feel off. When I embed my goals within an overarching vision, how- ever, I consistently start making more lasting and meaningful progress. Goals are great for telling you WHAT to do, but they don't provide a WHY. By themselves, goals don't provide any meaning. If you've ever achieved a significant goal in your life, but felt surprisingly empty, this is the reason why. Again, goals are great at providing specific outcomes to aim for, but in and of themselves they can't provide meaning. Goals can't tell you WHY you're doing something. They just tell you WHAT to do. If you've been achieving goal after goal in your life, but still feel empty, it's likely because you've made goals the ends in and of themselves, and don't have a more significant big picture of why you're laboring at those means — you don't have a vision for your life. Once you connect your goals to an overarching vision, they become more satisfying both to achieve and to pursue.>