How’s your Vision?

The more people I talk with, the more apparent it becomes.  There is a shift in the workforce around my region where artists and entrepreneurs are choosing an autonomous career path.  With good reason – becoming a sole proprietor has many benefits and is an amazing learning experience.  However, for as many good reasons as there are to go independent, there are definitely a few things that need to be considered before handing in a letter of resignation or investing another year into your existing business.

Before making a list of pros and cons, you should clearly understand what it is you’re doing and why.  In past blogs I talked about finding purpose in what you do, and now I am suggesting you ask yourself why are you doing it?  What is your vision?  What are your values that you are building this vision on?

The overall vision can be tricky to fit into one sentence, however based on my experience, I believe it’s very important to drill down deep within and establish a solid goal for what you would like to achieve.  If you would like to build a sustainable grassroots social enterprise, you need to be completely sincere with yourself about what it is you aim to achieve and how you are going to do it.

Over the past six years I have hit many forks in the road and a couple of dead ends.  These events always triggered a need to discover what it is that I am trying to accomplish.  The authentic anxiety that comes from doing something new and taking the path less traveled brings forth the ever important question: where am I going with this?  Defining the vision statement is a great step towards answering that burning question.

With lots of terminology and technical jargon in the business world, those who are just stepping into this may ask: what is a vision statement?  I came across a great article that answers just that and offers some additional guidance on defining your vision statement, mission statement and overall company goals.

Keep in mind, this is not something that happens overnight, but a creative process that takes time.  As you contemplate your new year’s resolution, perhaps there will be some correlating thoughts that will help guide your direction moving forward.  After all, being a sole (soul) proprietor really starts with a seed planted by you.

Although Simply Sustainable has taken on a new direction, the vision has remained consistent all along.  This grassroots movement has always been propelled by finding different ways of sharing art and inspiration with local communities as I balance between North and South creating, exchanging, teaching, learning and growing.

Wherever you are on your path, cheers to a Happy New Year filled with peace, love & enlightening growth!