You’re so busy chasing success, you don’t realize it’s dragging you further from the life you actually want.
If you’re a high-achiever, chances are you’re setting goals, and busting your ass to hit them.
Get the promotion. Run the marathon. Save for the house. Launch the business. You know the drill.
Setting goals and driving towards them is important.
But here’s the problem:
Very few people have a mission.
Fewer still have a clear vision of what they want their life to look like.
So they set goals that look impressive, feel productive, and make them feel “successful”.
But those same goals quietly pull them further and further away from the life they actually want.
I know exactly how that hits; I’ve been there.
I set goals. I hit the milestones. I landed the promotion.
And I ended up more exhausted, less fulfilled, and completely out of alignment.
Why?
Because the goals I was chasing weren’t anchored to a mission.
And they weren’t pointing toward a vision I actually believed in.
I was writing a story I didn’t actually want to live, because I had no mission guiding it.
Life unfolds as a story.
Whether you’re conscious of it or not, you live out your life through some kind of narrative, a story you tell others (and yourself) about who you are and what is important to you.
A rising action. A set of values. A guiding theme. A direction you’re moving in.
There’s an important aspect to note though:
You’re not just the main character in that story. You’re also the author.
You get to shape the plot. You get to decide what matters. You choose what to pursue and what to walk away from.
So if your goals don’t match your story’s theme, you’re living someone else’s plot. And you’re giving them final edit.
That’s when things go off the rails. That’s when the career looks good on paper, but feels hollow.
So how do you get back on track?
Start with the following three building blocks and how they relate to the story of your life:
Vision
This is the ending you’re writing toward. The future you want to step into. It’s the imagined life that feels meaningful to you, the legacy you want to look back on.
It’s high-level. Directional. Personal.
You don’t need to know exactly how to get there; that comes later.
Mission
Your mission is the core theme of your story. It’s the driving force behind your choices, the “why” that makes your goals worth pursuing in the first place.
Missions are broad, bold, and deeply rooted in your identity. They don’t end, they’re never “achieved”. They evolve.
A good mission acts like a compass: it orients you in times of uncertainty and helps you filter out what doesn’t belong in your life. If you don’t have a mission, it’s impossible to decide where to direct your energy. There are simply too many interesting and worthy goals that you can pursue.
Sahil Bloom suggests thinking of missions in three domains:
- Personal
- Professional
- Health
But honestly it feels like that list may only be a starting point for kicking off some ideas.
- Maybe your mission lives in your creative expression.
- Maybe it’s in your parenting.
- Maybe it’s in the kind of world you’re trying to help build.
The domains you choose are totally up to you. After all, you’re the author, remember?
Goals
These are the chapters and scenes in your story. Tangible steps, projects, or milestones that keep the plot moving towards your vision.
Goals are finite. You hit them or you miss them. Then it’s on to the next.
They’re important, but only if they serve the mission and point toward the vision.
Here’s the thing:
You can be highly effective at achieving goals, and still feel completely lost.
Because a goal ends.
You might feel a brief hit of satisfaction, but then comes the drift. Now what?
But a mission never ends. It evolves with you. It provides meaning. It gives your goals context and filters out the ones that don’t belong.
When you lead with mission, everything gets clearer:
- You stop chasing promotions that gut your soul.
- You stop setting goals that win approval from others but cause you to lose yourself in the process of achieving them.
- You start building the life you actually want, not the one you inherited from your LinkedIn feed or your parents.
If you want a preview of where your current goals are taking you, look one or two rungs up the ladder.
Do you want their life?
If not, it’s time to stop writing someone else’s story.
Let’s recap with the TL;DR version:
Vision is the ending. Mission is the theme. Goals are the chapters.
Or put another way:
Vision says ‘where‘. Mission says ‘why‘. Goals say ‘how‘.
This is the work I do with clients:
We don’t just set better goals. We step back, clarify the mission, and reimagine the whole damn storyline.
My mission? It’s to help people fix their work lives, so work becomes something that adds to their life, rather than something that drains it.
Because life’s too short to chase someone else’s dream.
If you’re ready to stop living someone else’s story and start writing your own:
Quotation I’ve Been Pondering
“A goal is a dream with a deadline.” — Napoleon Hill
Journal Prompt
“If my life were a book, what kind of chapter am I living right now? And as the author of this story… where do I want to take it next? What bold move or unexpected quest is calling me forward?”
Until next week!!
Work and live well.
Tim
Did someone awesome forward you this email? Sign up here to ensure you get my latest content.
Do you know someone who would benefit from this content? Please pass it along! ♻️
Let’s fix what work broke.
If you’re finally ready to take control of your work life and build something that works for you, here’s exactly how to start:
- Build Your Career Foundation (Free 5-day challenge). Start building the essential pillars of your career foundation with this free, step-by-step challenge. Gain clarity, align your values, and take action toward meaningful change.
- Book a Free Clarity Call. We’ll map out where you are, where you want to go, and how I can help you get there. No pressure – just a real conversation about whether coaching is the right next move.
- Schedule a Career Strategy Call. Stuck on a specific challenge? In this one-on-one coaching session, we’ll cut through the fog and design clear, actionable steps you can use right away.
