Earl Nightingale once said “A person without a goal or destination is like a ship without a rudder…” Now I realize I’ve probably quoted this before and you’ve probably heard that quote 1,000 times, but I want to reveal a distinction that was a huge shift in thinking for me.

Obviously, if you want to get somewhere, you need to know where you are going.  I’ve always had goals for myself and my business, but recently I discovered I was missing something even more vital: my mission.  Your mission is like the conglomeration of all your goals rolled up into one.  It is also like your ‘ultimate’ destination.

It helps to first identify your values.  Examine your current goals and see what themes run throughout.  Often times, its a little below the surface.  Ask yourself why you would set goals of that nature.  What do you enjoy about it? What do you get out of it.

Once I wrote out my mission, all of smaller more immediate goals begin to shrink.  Everything went into proper perspective.

My daily todo list? Miniscule.

Now that I know the final destination,  I the ship’s captain, can command the ship to go “full speed ahead.”

Full Speed Ahead!