Mind Your Business: A Vision Statement for Life

by Shannon Bond

Can you boil down your life’s vision into a word or phrase? When I was a kid, I remember a teacher who asked us to describe what kind of life we wanted to live in a single word. I chose “dynamic.” At the time, my idea of adventure was escaping class and roaming free in the hallways while everyone else was sequestered at their desks. Even at a young age, I was drawn to change and liked any disruption to the routine. Years later, I still love the routine shakeup but appreciate that there has to be a routine to shake up. Without yin, there is no yang. Without the push, there is no pull. It’s healthy to embrace both and learn when to shake things up for the good of your creative process.

I still love the word “dynamic,” but my needs have evolved into three words. The first is “explore.” To think of life as if we are adventurers navigating a strange realm. Even after 9/11, as I was called back into military service from civilian life, part of me was eager to let go of the 9 to 5 office gig, the commute, and the drudgery. It wasn’t just the excitement (anxiety?) of the unknown during those tragic, scary days; it was a need to get out and do something worth doing. To shake things up for a good cause. Today, I am more deliberate; I try to frame my shakeup times to feed my creative flow, which helps me create things worth creating.

The second word that comes to mind is “experience.” Be present. There are many ways to do this, from mindfulness meditation to cycling to creating art. The act of observing the self as we experience the world creatively helps us counteract the routine, keeping us present in the eternal now. And the third word, which builds on this idea of observing our worlds with a creative mind, is to “express.” Creativity comes in countless forms, from traditional art to carpentry to creating a spreadsheet. A cornerstone of human experience is creativity and the act of creating.

So now, many years later, my life’s vision has gone from a single word to three. Explore, experience, and create. But how does creating a vision statement help us live or make a living? I was in a KU leadership program a few years ago, and our coach had us develop a personal branding statement similar to a vision statement. At the time, I loved the tagline, “The stories we carry, create us.” I still love it and still think it’s true. But to move beyond the stories is profound. To explore those stories, internalize them, but then experience the world without them and create our own works is a step beyond. Developing a vision statement like this is a guiding light, a star to navigate by, and it helps me get back on track when I’ve slipped too far into a routine.

Am I exploring? If not, why not? Am I present with myself, my family, and my work? And finally, am I creating something worth creating, whether it’s something physical or a relationship? Does my day job fall into line with my vision statement? Those are many questions, but most times, it’s better to thrive on questions than stagnate on answers. Questions are the embodiment of exploring. What’s around the corner? What is that new position like? Will this new project be exciting? Why not dive in and find out?

But that’s just my guiding light, and it will change down the road. What’s yours? What guides your career and personal life? What would happen if you took a blank piece of paper, grabbed a pen, and wrote down words and phrases until a vision materialized? Never underestimate the power of streaming consciousness; what you want and how you want to spend time might just spill out onto the page.