Goal vs Mission

I alluded to this a few days ago in Two Eyes – there’s a marked difference between a goal and a mission, one that is causing me to think and rethink. Goal vs Mission. Can you define the difference for yourself before I share more?

Chop Wood Carry Water

This difference is defined in Chop Wood Carry Water, Joshua Medcalf. Akira, the samurai master is speaking to his apprentice, John:

“Do you know why so many people love goals, John? Because they secretly let them off the hook. If your goal is to become a doctor, there are a lot of people who can stop that from happening. There are many checkpoints along the way where people can tell you that you aren’t smart enough, or that you don’t qualify. But if you look at Mother Theresa’s mission, ‘to serve the needs of the sick and the dying,’ no one could ever stop her from living that out.

Goals actually allow you to shirk responsibility. But a mission? Only the person in the mirror can stop you from living that out.

I believe a mission is something you can do right where you are, anywhere, using only what you have. You do not need anyone’s permission.”

And there you have it! As a highly goal oriented person, this difference is extremely interesting to me. I want to be sure that my strings of goals are driven by an overarching mission, not simply today’s desires or guided by shiny things. This caused me to check in with myself on all levels to assess and reassess.

Am I chasing goals, or do they fit into my mission?

Is it a bunch of semantics?

What is my mission?

Goal vs Mission

I can break things down into two distinct periods, one guided by goals and one guided by a mission.

Pre-op

Before my surgeries, my life was guided by goals. A LOT of goals! To keep things simple, I’ll look at it from the perspective of my running career. David and I chose races that looked fun, were in unique places, friends/coach would be there, but we didn’t really have an overarching plan – no grand plan that these races fit into, no mission. If one of us came up injured, we canceled and changed goals. Easy in, easy out, revolving goals without a driving mission.

Never Enough

At the end of every single race, we’d have a time of mourning, loss, Now What? The pursuit was magnificent, but for what? We could only pick another and do it again, often grander than the previous. Round and round. It was a time of tremendous fun together but I can see now that we lacked a mission.

Post-op

The gifts of my surgeries and recoveries keep on appearing. I am filled with mission now! Everything I do is guided by mission. I am recovering and reclaiming my body bit by bit every day. In doing so, I am showing myself and the world that the only limits are the ones you set. I am sharing my experience, deepest thoughts, embarrassing moments, all of it, because it will resonate with and help someone. I’m parenting with laser focus.

I am NOT running. I’d love to but it feels terrible. That is not in line with my mission. Maybe later, maybe never. Zero cares, not part of the mission. Bye.

I AM bodybuilding. This is rebuilding my body from scratch. I am going to compete with the goal of doing my very best, but my feelings around it are governed by my overarching mission of physical recovery and overcoming all of the physical limitations that have been thrown at me. Being this example for others is what is most important to me. Getting on stage covered in scars will be my proudest piece.

The outcome of my mission is determined by ME. Not a panel of judges.

Thank you, Surgery Journey! You have been one of the best gifts of my life.

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