Hey you,
I’m so excited we get to spend some time together. Ok, not really time together but time working on what’s important to you. I love coming along side beautiful friends like you, allowing you to see what makes you so special; what makes you, well, you! I’m one of those people who love to figure out what makes people tick. We are all so unique, God created you and I to be in the image of Him.
You’re special.
You’re unique.
You’re one of a kind.
Remember this as you’re working on your mission, vision, and values statements.
How would your life change if you knew your mission in life? What if you understood why you’re drawn to certain things and propelled by others? What if you could recognize our values and know what works for you and what does not?
The exercise below will help you see clearly what is important to you, what makes you tick so to speak, and gives you the answers to some difficult questions in life.
Pull up a chair. Make a nice cup of tea. It’s time to get down to what makes you, you!
Seriously, I’m so excited for you. So, let’s get started.
When you complete the following exercise you will have your mission, vision, and values mapped out. Answers to difficult decisions will to come into focus. Future dreams and the map to make it happen start to become clear. You may tweak and update your mission, vision and values but the foundation is found in the exercise you see below.
Let’s first identify what a mission, vision, and values are.
Mission is a statement about your core purpose, why you exist, and is best stated in the present tense.
- Your mission is defined by what God has created you to do in life, your contributions, career and personal life. It’s your God given life purpose, to use your God given talents.
- A personal mission statement allows one to live freely, helps to create boundaries and assists in bringing in focus what will work in life and what will not.
- Your mission statement will guide you in creating clear boundaries, lines which will guide you towards your goals. Everything you do in life, hobbies, career, investments, and relationships, will soon align with your mission statement.
- You may ask how this is so. Once you set the boundaries in which the mission statement stands, you will clearly see what falls within your mission and what no longer serves the goal in the mission statement.
- As you develop and own your mission statement, you begin to live it. Decisions become clear. Boundaries are clear. Focus is clear. Once you have your mission statement in place, your talents, strengths, and focus all work towards the mission in life.
Let’s take a look at how to form your personal mission statement by answering the following questions
- What type of legacy do you want to leave behind when you leave this earth?
- What does your best life look like?
- What makes you want to jump out of bed each day and jump into life?
- What is important to you in life? What do you value in life? How is your life connected?
- What does your best life look like? Dream really big here?
- How do you want to be remembered each day?
- Do you leave people better than you found them?
- Do you teach them? Do you make them question?
- What is it you want to imprint on others?
Take time to get quiet and contemplate each of the questions above. Write out boundaries that will keep you focused. Think of the people in your life, how will this impact them? Ask your inner circle how they view your mission in life-your strengths, weaknesses, talents, and dislikes. Remember, this is a rough draft, continue to fine tune it as you mold it.
A few examples of clients missions statements are:
To equip and enable students to believe in their dreams.
To leave people better than I found them.
To positivity impact the lives of every student in my classroom. To inspire positive growth in this world.
To enable my clients to live their best life.
How do you determine if your mission statement is aligned with who you are, does it align with your principles?
Example-You’ve been asked to speak with a large group to teach them xxxx. The group has asked you to play a song from a new rock band with questionable lyrics. Does this align with your belief on living with integrity and character?
Mission is a statement about your core purpose in life, why you exist, and best stated in the present tense.
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Next, let’s look at your vision statement. A vision statement is a statement about your desired state, where you want to go, and is best stated in the future tense.
Write one important goal for each of the following area of your life:
spiritual, physical, career, family, relationships, financial, personal growth, hobbies.
If work was not a part of your day, how would you spend your time?
An effective values statement clearly defines your principles and how you want to live your life.
We teach people how they can treat us. We allow it in our lives. Be it good or bad we have laid the groundwork. When you identify your values in life, when you pinpoint what is important to you and what you will no longer allow, you create boundaries for tolerations in life.
Get rid of the ‘if only’ in life….this statement kills the ability to create the vision.
One of the first things I do with my clients is to ask them to create the vision of their best life.
No holding back.
I ask them to create, on paper, the most amazing life they want to live.
If there was a magic wand and they could wave it fulfilling every wish, what would life look like?
This exercise helps one to shift their mindset from dreaming to creation.
Once you get clear on what your hopes, dreams, and wishes are, you can map them out into a vision statement and actively work towards them.
Vision is a statement about your desired state, where you want to go, and is best stated in the future tense.
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Values are important and lasting beliefs or ideals on who we are. Values serve as a guideline in life. They influence our thoughts, behaviors, ideals providing us with a personal code of conduct. When we honor our core values we feel fulfilled. When we do not, we fall into bad habits misaligned with our life.
Consider key moments in your life. Where were you? Whom were you with? Why was it a moment to remember? What were you doing? Think of key moments where you wanted out of the situation? What were you feeling? How did you get there? The moments that mean much to you will tell you your key values in life.
Ex: You were able to connect with a friend and confide in them. Key value; Trust
Ex: You attend a seminar and felt connected to the speaker, subject and learning. Key value: growth
Ex: A friend told a lie about you and hurt you deeply. Key value: Honesty.
Ex: You’ve been sick and doing everything you can to feel better. You seek out key people to learn from, to lean on. Key value: Health personal growth.
Values are the characteristics that mean the most to your true self.
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The size of the smile reveals the size of the struggle.
It’s ok to struggle. It’s ok to take your time and really think of about each catagory. You’re worth it.
Let me know what you discover as you work through your mission, vision, and values statements. I can’t wait to see how you tap into the life you’ve been created to live.
Here’s to you!
