I saw Avengers: Infinity War last week. Please. You don’t have to leap at me to slap a hand over my mouth. As if you could reach me from where you are. This is a spoiler-free zone, so don’t worry.
There is so much hype surrounding this movie, that I don’t blame anyone for being a little fatigued. This post is not so much about the movie as it is a high five to Marvel Studios for the ten-year process leading up to the movie.
I’ve never had a ten-year plan for anything! Years ago, both of my brothers tried to get me to make a five-year business plan, but I flubbed it. I barely outlined novels! At the time, the thought of proposing enough novels or other writing projects to fill five years was
But now I see the value of at least coming up with a plan beyond my usual, “I just wanna write lotsa stuff.” I think about Charles Yallowitz and how weekly he discusses his writing plans. If you follow his blog, you know he sometimes he talks about his writing plans for the next year or so!
A good business plan really needs a good vision statement as well. (If you’re still in Marvel mode, you might be thinking of the character Vision. Ha ha!)
According to BusinessDictionary.com, a vision statement (also known as a mission statement) is
An aspirational description of what an organization would like to achieve or accomplish in the mid-term or long-term future. It is intended to serves as a clear guide for choosing current and future courses of action. See also mission statement.
Read more: http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/vision-statement.html
If you’re curious, here is part of Microsoft’s vision statement:
Microsoft is a technology company whose mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. We strive to create local opportunity, growth, and impact in every country around the world. Our strategy is to build best-in-class platforms and productivity services for an intelligent cloud and an intelligent edge infused with artificial intelligence (“AI”).
“To empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.” Wow! Talk about a big goal. But that’s the value of a mission statement. It gives you something to work toward. If it’s achievable right now, then it’s probably not a big enough goal.
So, I’m working on a vision statement too. After all, I can’t get anywhere if I don’t have a destination or a plan for getting there. What about you? Got any long-term or short-term plans you’d care to talk about? Do you have a vision statement for what you want to do? While you think about that, I’ll move onto the winner of the birthday giveaway. Wondering what that’s about? Click here to read the post that announced the giveaway.
The winner of the birthday giveaway, thanks to the magic of the random organizer, is . . .
Is . . .
Is . . .
Is . . .
FictionFan!
But since this is my blog, I can have two winners. (Surprise announcement! Oh yeah!) So, the second winner is . . .
Is . . .
Is . . .
Is . . .
Penny!
Please comment below to confirm! FictionFan, I will need to get the email you use with Amazon UK at some point. Penny, if you have a preference for the items mentioned in the birthday post, please comment below to confirm.
Thank you to all who commented.
This is what’s great about spring.
Avengers: Infinity War movie poster from comicbook.com. Marvel Studios Ten Year logo from screenrant.com. Vizzini inconceivable image from quotesgram.com. Vision image from wpaperhd.com. Other photo by L. Msarie.
El Space--The Blog of L. Marie 
Congratulations to the winners! I’ve never had a vision statement, only goals I’d like to achieve. I have one big one…but I’m not ready to say it out loud…time will tell. 🙂
Will pray for your goal, Jill!
I can’t blame you for waiting to say it out loud. I do hope you’ve written it down though.
Of course! 🙂
Good! Looking forward to good things from you!
And you, too!
Thank you!
I used to be on volunteer boards for community organizations and we always had to decide our vision statement [then our mission statement that is a result of the vision statement] so that we’d be on the same page as to our purpose. It was a fun theoretical exercise, but in the end just doing the things is what we did. I look forward to reading about your statements and how they work out for you.
I know what you mean, Ally. I’ve had the same view about some novels I outlined before writing anything. They were theoretical. The finished product turned out very different from the “theory.”
I don’t have anything formal written out, but I have writing goals in my mind, and I set deadlines for myself. Helps keep me on track.
Good idea, Carrie! I’m trying to be more purposeful about setting goals. I can’t help thinking of this quote:
“If you aim at nothing you will hit it every time.” Zig Ziglar
This post reminds me of conversation I had with a very close friend shortly after I stopped practicing law.
On New Year’s Day, she asked, “What are your goals for the year?”
“To be happy.”
“No. I mean what goals are you setting for yourself?”
“Just one. To be happy.”
She thought I had lost my marbles. I knew I had found them. 😀
That is a great goal, Nancy! Good for you! 😀
Yeah, I need to start planning more often and more efficiently. And I haven’t seen Avengers: Infinity War yet.
You and me both, Mark!
I hope you get to see Infinity War soon. So hard to avoid spoilers!
Ooooh, thank you, L. Marie!! 😁 I’ll pop you an email with my email address shortly.🍾
Ha – I was once in charge of a committee tasked with drawing up a mission statement for my then employers. It was ridiculously hard to come up with something everyone agreed on and could feel properly committed to. After that experience, I made myself a mission plan to never get involved in making another mission plan… 😉
Ha ha! I don’t blame you!
The Amazon gift voucher was sent!
Thanks so much! I shall spend the rest of the afternoon happily deciding what to spend it on! 😀
An afternoon well spent! 😀
I’m rubbish with plans. I’m too laid back and quite casual about things. I have vague ideas . . . with vague time scopes!
Congrats to the winners.
I know what you mean, Andy. It’s hard to get in a buttoned-down mode. 😀
I have a vague plan and just keep plugging away. Your post is food for thought, though.
After I finished my term on the Manila International School Board, I was hired to be assistant to the Superintendent. My biggest duty was to prepare a 10-year plan for the school. I arranged brain-storming sessions for a variety of groups and made up and distributed a survey to solicit views from various constituents. I hope things worked out after I left. But that was a group project. With an individual plan, there’s no one to help you out, either in writing the plan or in carrying it out.
Wow! A huge responsibility, Nicki!
As with Marvel, a committee helped with the plan. Many hands make light work, I guess.
In the past in my teaching consellor job I had a projet to link teaching in and the evaluation . It has been very fruitful for the teachers and me
Love ❤
Michel
How wonderful, Michel! Love to you and Janine!
First of all, let’s see if this comment posts and I’m back to “commenting WordPress normal”. 🙂
Second of first of all, THANK YOU! Lucky, lucky me. I would appreciate the Amazon card and I thank you, again.
Now, as to mission/vision statements. Personally, I have rather given up on plans for myself, other than straighten the house, the garden, my closet sort of things. What i have been doing is keeping a list of what I HAVE done. I tend to feel better about myself at the end of the day or the week. 🙂
Having said all that silly stuff, I have been involved in crafting mission statements for organizations both big and small. As an elected school board member, we re-visited the district’s mission statement and revised it after reaching consensus. My garden club actually has a very strong mission statement that is clear, concise, and one I return to time-and-again when making decisions.
. . . and, yay! It posted.
It did! 😀
Yay! Your comment posted, Penny. I’m so relieved.
I’m part of a team crafting my church’s vision statement, so I’ve also experienced how hard it is to reach consensus (and how many drafts you have to go through to reach that). 😀
Many, many drafts. It seems, at least to me, the best vision statements tend to be shorter ones with key words that lead the statement. Reaching consensus can be tricky. Best of luck.
Thanks, Penny!
Last year I worked with a career coach to develop a mission statement and medium-term plan. It’s a good idea because it’s a way of helping to make choices when one of the choices is more consistent with one’s values than another. The process made me see that I shouldn’t rule out self-publishing as an option because going it alone is more consistent with who I am than working with others who don’t share my values and goals.
Looking forward to having you on the blog to talk about your next book, Lyn!
I think I’m lazy (I even posted about my laziness once). I don’t have any vision statements or missions. I’m a very organized person and need structure in my daily life in order to function. But, when it comes to writing, I’m a mess. I feel like structure with my writing process gets in the way of creativity. When I set a goal or an outline, I feel restricted. I know I don’t have to be restricted, it just happens. I’m such a stickler for sticking with a plan, that if I have one, I don’t know how to sway from it. The good news for people in my life is that when I say I’m going to do something, I do it. Don’t know if this makes any sense at all, but there you go.
Hope you’re enjoying the nice weather, L. 🙂
It’s great that you’re dependable, Lori. I wouldn’t call that lazy! You know your priorities!
Story outlines don’t always work for me. I’m more of a hybrid person. I might list scenes that will go somewhere in the book. But I wind up switching things around or dropping them altogether.
BTW: That “INCONCEIVABLE” guy is playing a super smart physicist on Young Sheldon right now ~ he’s hysterical as the love interest of MeeMaw (Sheldon’s grandmother).
So glad that Wallace Shawn is still in the business! I think we can all quote his speech in Princess Bride. 😀
He’s so good on Young Sheldon ~ such a hoot!
He showed up with a wok tied to his back when he bicycled over to MeeMaw’s house to cook her a Szechuan dinner. Looked just like a turtle! 😀
Ha ha ha!! That’s hilarious!