Mission Ready
A surprising percentage of people go aimlessly from day to day, pay cheque to pay cheque, with a great deal of routine. While routine, or habits, are great and extremely useful in everyday life, repeating the same day over and over again Monday - Friday, becomes mundane and boring; lifeless almost! Very few people get up in the morning with vigor and anticipation. The morning coffee to wake up is the norm. We live for the weekends where we have almost as much structure just aiming towards different things. Trust me, I’m not knocking habits, they’re lifesavers!!
But, how would you like to wake up and when your feet hit the ground you’re off on a newish adventure? What if you had a real purpose and meaning for your every day? Okay, no-one’s perfect, but most of your days? What if you could make a real mark in the world, leave a legacy for your family, and/or at the very least, feel like you’ve accomplished something important to you?
Tell me, why are you here on Earth?
What if you could make a real mark in the world, leave a legacy for your family, and/or at the very least, feel like you’ve accomplished something important to you?
Successful businesses have a mission statement that keeps them accountable to their clients & stakeholders, and gives meaning and purpose to their existence. It’s like a compass that keeps them on the right path to success. It keeps the entire company going in the same direction and defines how they plan to conduct themselves on the way to that success.
Highly successful individuals have a personal mission statement. And you should too! It becomes your compass, reflecting your reason for living. It gives you meaning and purpose for getting up each morning, to face each brand new day! Something to look forward to because it is about your passion/s.
I get it, you might have a “9-5.” But that’s only a little part of your day. You could spend half an hour each day on a task that gives you joy and meaning in YOUR life. Little increments consistently done over time compound into big things. Simply spending that half hour practising guitar riffs each day will make you so much better at playing chords and progressions. But that concept is better treated at another time.
Let’s explore how to create a personal mission statement.
Highly successful individuals have a personal mission statement. And you should too!
It becomes your compass, reflecting your reason for living. It gives you meaning and purpose for getting up each morning, to face each brand new day!
Carve out 30 minutes and brain dump all the possibilities, no matter how silly they may seem, of what you might like to do with your life (this is not a goals list). Maybe you want to fly a hot air balloon around the world to raise money for purchasing wheelchairs for Zimbabwe. Think about relationships, career, finances, physical health, mental health, spirituality, community/world contribution. What makes you very happy? Maybe watching children playing in sandboxes. What makes you angry? Maybe human trafficking.
A second day, spend 30 minutes with the list and write down why you want to do each thing/ why it is important to you. Combine any that are similar or repetitive.
A third day, spend 30 minutes with the list and rank each idea (doing a round robin style of elimination works wonders for this).
You now have a very good idea of what is important to you.
Look at the number one idea and determine what skills and talents you already have, and what ones you might need to acquire to do this.
Think about your personality and how much time and energy you could spend on such a project each day; keeping life balance in mind.
Other than your skills, talent, and time, what other resources do you have?
Think about a support system.
Think about who in your network could be a connection and/or where you might acquire such a connection.
Once you have this information, then it’s time to write at least a first draft of your personal mission statement.
A good template to begin with would be:
State what you want to do
State how you want to accomplish it
State your reason
You will find that over time as you continue to revisit your statement you will hone it to reflect your own character.
Both my business and personal mission statements have changed and morphed through many, many stages as I reflect on my abilities, resources, experience, and passions.
I would like to leave you with this:
Part of my personal mission statement is to live as authentic a life as I can and to leave a footprint of generosity, kindness and compassion.
If you need help with this, or have any questions feel free to set up a free consultation here: https://bit.ly/3NCvcD7
Have fun with this process. Remember this personal mission statement is yours, not what someone else wants for you.
I have coached and mentored individuals, and facilitated small groups for over 30 years. I am a strong proponent of walking the walk and talking the talk. When I know something works, I like to pass it on to others!
Go to heatherlynnecoaching.com/workshops for more information and to register for my upcoming workshops or seminars!
About Heather O ‘Reilly
I have coached and mentored individuals, and facilitated small groups for over 30 years. I am a strong proponent of walking the walk and talking the talk. When I know something works, I like to pass it on to others!
Join me and start your journey to spark meaningful change in your life. Discover new strategies and develop good habits by registering for our upcoming workshops at heatherlynnecoaching.com/workshops