Blog Posts by Courtney McBath

Knowing your mission, vision, and purpose is not enough.

Yes, going through your life without knowing these things is like shooting a gun before aiming. Everything we do before discovering them seems random and unrelated. We start in one direction and stay with it until something else seems better. Then, we jump over to the next thing, and the next, and the next. Knowing our purpose produces confidence that we know where we’re going.

However, we must understand that finding our purpose is one thing; working at it—challenges notwithstanding—is another. Our purpose becomes clearer as we experience successes and failures, try new skills, and find roles that make us feel alive. Hence, giving up is not an option.

As we walk the path of purpose to fulfillment, we will experience challenges, setbacks, and failures; however, the difference between experiencing the fullness of your purpose and living a life of regret comes with perseverance.

Merriam-Webster defines...

The mission is the map; the vision is the road to get to the destination. Your vision is made up of the nitty-gritty details that help you make real progress. Because your mission provides a framework for your life, you can lead with sharper vision when you know your mission.

Discovering and implementing your personal vision requires the process of self-discovery, establishing specific goals, and continually fine-tuning your direction. It’s a dynamic—and sometimes complex—process.

Your vision becomes increasingly refined as your purpose becomes clearer, and your purpose becomes clearer as you experience successes and failures, triumphs and defeats, joys and sorrows. A person’s vision is an organic, dynamic, growing thing.

Very few people have a clear vision from the outset of their lives and careers. Several of the great leaders we now recognize worldwide have stories that, when studied, reveal adequate response(s) to specific challenges they faced....

“How do you know if your mission in life is finished? If you’re still alive, it isn’t.” —Richard Bach

The process of discovering our purpose is as different for each one of us as our varied personalities, backgrounds, and experiences. Some of us are adventurous; others value security. Nonetheless, we must understand that the process is as important as the destination.

Some coaches have noted, “Many people live with a secret deadly fear. They dread coming to the end having lived a meaningless life.” Finding a mission and fulfilling it is perhaps the most important activity in a person’s life. A person’s mission is to live by their core values—passionately, consistently, courageously, and compassionately.

Our mission is not an addendum to life. It is the controlling force. Daily, we face multiple situations in which our mission directs our choices. It charts our overarching...