ProGals on a Mission:the workbook

Why create a mission statement?

1. It forces you to think deeply about your life, clarify the purpose of your life, and identify what is really important to you.

2. It forces you to clarify and express succinctly your deepest values and aspirations.

3. It imprints your values and purposes firmly in your mind so they become a part of you rather than something you only think about occasionally.

4. Integrating your personal mission statement into your weekly planning gives you a way to keep your vision constantly before you.

Habit 2: Begin with the end in mindVictor Hugo once said, “There is nothing as powerful as an idea whose time has come.” A mission statement is that idea. You may call it a credo or a philosophy; or you may call it a purpose statement. It’s not important what it is called. What is important is that vision, purpose, and values are more powerful, more significant, and more influential that the baggage of the past or the accumulated noise of the present. The power of the personal mission statement lies in your vision and in a commitment to that vision, that purpose, and those principle-centered values. They will control your decisions, determine your outlook, and provide the direction for your future.

~How to Develop Your Personal Mission Statement” by S. Covey

A personal mission statement helps give you a sense of direction -- without it you cannot resolutely move toward manifesting your goals. Imagine the difference between a light bulb and a laser beam. The light bulb is a small amount of energy that casts an expansive light, whereas the laser (in this case represented by a mission statement) is clear, intentional energy. With a single-minded focus on your intentions it is easier to strategize and be creative. It goes back to the adage, "if you fail to plan, you plan to fail."

The laser effect.

Because each individual is unique, a personal mission statement will reflect that uniqueness, both in content and form. An effective mission statement may consist of a few words or several pages. Mission statements can be written in poetry, prose, music, or art, and written for individuals, couples, families, or organizations. Writing an empowering mission statement is not a “to do” to be checked off. To be empowering, it has to become a living document. You must ponder it, memorize it, review it, update it, and write it into your heart and mind. You may find the following characteristics helpful to you in writing your mission statement, or in evaluating one you have already written.

• represents the deepest and best within you. It comes out of a solid connection with your deep inner life.

• is the fulfillment of your own unique gifts. It is the expression of your unique capacity to contribute.

• addresses and integrates the four fundamental human needs and capacities in the physical, social/emotional, mental, and spiritual dimensions.

• deals with all of the significant roles in your life. It represents a lifetime balance of the personal, family, work, and community roles you fill.

• is written to inspire you, nor to impress anyone else. It communicates to you and inspires you on the most essential level.

What is a mission statement?

An Empowering Mission Statement…

How do I create my mission statement?As you look at your mission statement, you’ll need to work basically on two things: vision – your sense of the future – and the principles that you want to live by.

Vision is who you really are and what you could become.Principles are those unalterable truths you feel so strongly about that you are willing to accept them as your own set of values.

Developing a personal mission statement is profound and deep work. Get perspective. Take time and be patient. Viktor Frankl shared a brilliant insight about developing mission statements. He said, “The thing I learned is that you don’t invent your mission, you detect it. You uncover it, as it were.” Everyone has special gifts, unique qualities, and characteristics. And they need to work inwardly until they detect those aspects.

~How to Develop Your Personal Mission Statement

What makes you come alive?

Mission revealed, not discovered

Talents

Values

The bedrock, what you are born with

Purpose

The foundation,

what you build upon

Talents

Your talents manifest themselves in what you enjoy most and do best. Talents are innate. You are born with them. Reflect on your life and identify at least seven occasions that you recall as high points or peak experiences. These are memories of times that gave you a great sense of pleasure or achievement. They are highly meaningful for you. Take them from different areas of your life, including your childhood, education, work, and leisure pursuits.1.___________________________________________________2.___________________________________________________3.___________________________________________________4.___________________________________________________5.___________________________________________________6. __________________________________________________7.___________________________________________________

For each high point, ask yourself:- Which talent(s) was I using and enjoyed using the most?- With what kind of people?- In what type of situation?

ValuesYour values are what you believe is important. They are evident in the way you do things. Write down the names of all the people you admire most. Include friends, neighbor, world leaders, artists, authors, sportspeople, colleagues, living or dead, fictional or real. Next to each name, write down all of the qualities for which you admire this person.1.____________________________________________________2.____________________________________________________3.____________________________________________________4.____________________________________________________5.____________________________________________________6. ____________________________________________________7.____________________________________________________8.____________________________________________________9.____________________________________________________10.___________________________________________________

Review what you have written and think about the qualities you admire most in others. Themes will emerge. Which of these qualities resonate most for you? Consider those that appeal to you rationally, emotionally, and spiritually. These qualities reflect your values.

Purpose

Mission

Goals/Objectives

Plans

Tasks

Infinite/unlimited

Finite/limited

Your purpose ranks above all else. It is the direction that is right for you. Your purpose arises from your

talents and your values. It is like the horizon: you will never get there. You can pursue your purpose for the rest of your life. You

know you are pursuing your purpose when your whole being seems to resonate with what you are doing. Your mission describes how you

want to live your life and what you want to do. Your mission is infinite,

just like your purpose.

What can’t you stop doing?

Think back to the talents exercise – your high points may reveal an activity that you are often pursuing when you experience a high point. If you ask other people how they perceive you, they may say you have a passion for something that is more obvious to them than it is to you. Ask your friends and/or family to tell you about the things you cannot stop doing. Make a list of all the things you keep doing, whether or not anyone pays you to do them. Include any activity, whether you have labelled it as work, fun, a hobby, a distraction, or anything else.

When you look at what you have written, what are the themes that emerge? What is it that you cannot stop doing? What gives you boundless energy?

Describe how you work, in a paragraph.

Now distil this paragraph into a phrase or sentence that you can use as a mission statement, in draft form.

Test this mission statement on people who know you well. Work with it. Refine it as you go.

Your mission statement

DENISE MORRISON,CEO OF CAMPBELL SOUP COMPANY“To serve as a leader, live a balanced life, and apply ethical principles to make a significant difference.”

OPRAH WINFREY, FOUNDER OF OWN, THE OPRAH WINFREY NETWORK“To be a teacher. And to be known for inspiring my students to be more than they thought they could be.”

SIR RICHARD BRANSON, FOUNDER OF THE VIRGIN GROUP“To have fun in [my] journey through life and learn from [my] mistakes.”

AMANDA STEINBERG, FOUNDER OF DAILYWORTH.COM“To use my gifts of intelligence, charisma, and serial optimism to cultivate the self-worth and net-worth of women around the world.”

Search Engine ExerciseA personal mission statement is your guiding light when things get dark. It might be easy to understand that your business mission is to create a suite of apps that will help educate children, but that doesn’t answer the question of why you are doing it. What’s your personal mission?

So let’s help create your mission statement right now. If someone were to type your name into Google, what would you want associated with it?

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You can obviously have more than one, but doing a word association like this will begin to steer you in the right direction. The second part of this is to answer the question why—what is your motivation? Piggy-backing off the bullets above:

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The final step before you begin to piece your statement together is to think about how you will accomplish this. In the case of most entrepreneurs, this will likely relate to your business, but lets put down a few examples anyway (and keep the threads from above going):

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• Worlds greatest mom• Hard worker• Genius• Internet pioneer• Food revolutionary

• To give my children the best chance to succeed in this world

• To earn respect and leave behind no regrets• To solve a problem that’s been plaguing

humanity• To connect business leaders and startups to

help grow businesses faster• To end obesity in America

• Always place the priorities of my children above work and play

• Wake up early, stay focused and never quit

• Stay informed and active within the industry and seek answers to unsolved problems

• Be where the users are today and embrace tomorrow’s technologies

• Grow organic, farm sustainably, and develop new delivery methods to keep cost down

What could you achieve in life if you decided to become totally and blissfully impervious to unconstructive criticism and rejection?

How do you create a vision so big that others will want to be a part of it?

Living with IntentEssential intent applies to so much more than your job description or your company’s mission statement; a true essential intent is one that guides our greater sense of purpose, and helps you chart your life’s path. For example, Nelson Mandela spent twenty-seven years in jail becoming an Essentialist. When he was thrown in jail in 1962 he had almost everything taken from him: his home, his reputation, his pride, and of course his freedom. He chose to use those twenty-seven years to focus on what was really essential and eliminate everything else – including his own resentment. He made it his essential intent to eliminate apartheid in South Africa and in doing so established a legacy that lives on today.

Creating an essential intent is hard. It takes courage, insight, and foresight to see which activities and efforts will add up to your single highest point of contribution. It takes asking tough questions, making real trade-offs, and exercising serious discipline to cut out the competing priorities that distract us from our true intention. Yet it is worth the effort because only with real clarity of purpose can people, teams, and organizations fully mobilize and achieve something truly excellent.

The life of an Essentialist is a life lived without regret. If you have correctly identified what really matters, if you invest your time and energy in it, then it is difficult to regret the choices you make. You become proud of the life you have chosen to live.

Will you choose to live a life of purpose and meaning, or will you look back on your one single life with twinges of regret? Whatever decision or challenge or crossroads you face in your life, simply ask yourself, “What is essential?” Eliminate everything else.

*excerpt from Essentialism; The disciplined pursuit of less by Greg McKeown

Why create a bucket list? Thinking about your list will remind you of your 'why.' So often, we are consumed by 'how' to do something (how to have a better life, make more money, spend time with family, etc.). In the process we overlook why we want these things, in essence, if we don't know 'why', the 'how' makes little difference. The 'why' defines our purpose and helps to provide some motivation to persist in spite of the challenges along the way.

Periodically reviewing your list is a great way to re-energize. How often do we find ourselves so busy running on the 'hamster-wheel' of life that we lose sight of the bigger picture? By refreshing our perspective, we sharpen our focus and get back on track. Consider this: what are you more motivated to work for-what you want or what somebody else wants you to have?

When you write down your list, you leverage the law of attraction. By creating your list and sharing it, you send out a 'vibration.' That makes it possible for others to assist you in achieving your dreams. If you are very specific about what you want and communicate that to others, things fall into place over time.

Your list helps add to or build your legacy. How would you like to be remembered? Years from now, when stories are being told by your descendants at family gatherings, what distinction(s) would you like to hold? Consider the example you will set for future generations. What an awesome privilege and responsibility it is to share your knowledge, wisdom, and experience! And you had fun doing it, too!

Creating a Bucket List