What were you put on this earth to accomplish?  Have you ever really stopped to think about the fact that you are here for a unique purpose that no one else can fulfill?  Everyone has a mission.  It has been said that it is not up to us to define our mission; it is up to us to detect it.  So, we are going to go through some steps now to help you detect your mission for your life.  While the nuances of how you fulfill your mission may come in stages, your mission will remain the same throughout your lifetime.  Even though you play different roles during different phases of your life, one thing will always remain constant – your mission.

For example, my mission is to motivate, educate, and inspire others to be their best.  This has been my mission since I was a child.  I have not always been aware of it, in fact, I was not really aware of it until my early 30’s.  And even since I have detected my mission, I have had different jobs, roles, and goals.   

As a child, my teachers called me a natural teacher and a natural-born leader.  I was often used to tutor other children in all subjects.  I was also used to help motivate my fellow classmates.  Teachers found that I could get their students to do what they could not.  Some of my teachers thought it was because I was able to speak to these kids on “their level.”  But they soon found out that this talent seemed to be unique to me.  I just thought I was blessed with being a little smarter than my peers.  (Hey, I didn’t say I was humble!)

As a teenager, I was told I had too much self-confidence, and that I could easily get other kids into trouble.  I was a good kid!  I was often looked upon as a leader more than my teachers and some of them didn’t like that.  Most of them, however, appreciated it.

Stephen Covey says, “The key to the ability to change, is a changeless sense of who you are, what you are about, and what you value.”  Having a mission statement, a personal mission statement in addition to your company’s, helps you make daily decisions.  When you have a decision to make, which option gets you closer to accomplishing your ultimate goal?  Will it help you to fulfill your mission?  When you make your decisions based on your personal mission statement, you never regret it. 

To get started with crafting your personal mission statement, take the time to write out the answers to these questions.

1. If time and money were no object, what would you do?
2. What do you enjoy doing?
3. What gives you that sense of being tired, “but it’s a good tired.”
4. How do you want to live your life?
5. If the only compensation you received for a job was the fleeting recognition of a job well-done, what would you do?
6. If you were to receive no recognition or compensation for a job, what would you do?
7. What are three things you would do if you knew you could not fail?
8. When was the last time you were excited about life?  What were you doing? How did you feel?
9. If you had the power to turn back time, what would you change about your life?
10. What accomplishments are you most proud of?

After writing your responses to these questions, go back over them and pick out any themes you see developing.  You’ve probably had lots of experiences that you thought were unrelated, but perhaps now can see a pattern.  What is it?
Qualities of Mission Statements

A mission statement describes your unique purpose in life.  It summarizes the talents and qualities you have and want to develop, what you want to accomplish, and what contributions you desire to make.

Examples of Mission Statements

• To motivate, education, and inspire others to be their best through my writing, speaking, and consulting.
• To raise happy, healthy, well-adjusted children and grand children.
• To help the broke, lonely, down-trodden, desperate people of this world see that there is hope.  To help them get on their feet and live respectable lives.
• To lead my community in becoming a better place for its citizens.  To have better schools, better homes, better lives and brighter futures.  To bring in companies that can provide jobs and increase the standard of living for all families.
• To use my talents and skills to help others live healthier lives.
• To cause my students to believe in themselves and help them develop their talents.
• To provide development opportunities for disadvantaged children by volunteering my time, talents, and resources.
• To use my education and experience to motivate others to want better oral hygiene for themselves and their families.  To raise well-adjusted, happy children.  To make a difference in my community. To live healthfully for the rest of my life.
• To achieve what matters most.  To help others do the same.

Your mission statement may change slightly over time and that’s okay.  You may need to modify it based on new levels of awareness and education.  Allow yourself the flexibility to grow your mission statement as you grow.  Most of us start out with broad or general statements, and then refine them once we start increasing our self-awareness.   The important thing is to get started, because as Lyn Christian says, “If you’re not following your heart, you’re living someone else’s dream.”

Thanks for reading today.  I’d love to hear from you.  You can comment by clicking the “No Comments” link below.�

Posted under Inspiration, Motivation