Create Your Personal Vision & Mission Statement

It's time we get to know exactly who we are and what we want for ourselves. A personal vision and mission statement is the framework for creating a powerful, unique and purposefully aligned life. Unlike a goal, a vision or mission rarely changes. It is a reason for our existence. It guides us in the decisions we make and the directions we take.

Your Personal Vision

Close your eyes and picture yourself in the future. It may be a few months or years from today. See the person you are; what you are doing, who you are with, what you have accomplished, what is important to you, and how people relate to you. How does it feel to be you? Feel the person you are, your true self. Now, open your eyes and see your life and yourself in the present, through those eyes. You will begin to notice the changes you need to make to honor this vision and lead a powerful life. A Personal Vision is a picture of your True Self in the future. An effective personal vision includes all the important elements of your life and career; it is who you want to be, what you want to do, how you want to feel, what you want to own, and who you want to associate with. Although your personal vision helps you to see into the future, it must be grounded in the present. It is a statement of who you are, and who you are becoming. It is the framework for the process of creating your life. Your vision is where you are headed, how you get there is your mission statement.

Your Personal Mission Statement

A Personal Mission Statement is how you will manifest your Personal Vision in your daily life. It may be a few words or several pages, but it is not a "to do" list. It reflects your uniqueness and must speak to you powerfully about the person you are and the person you are becoming. Remember, it's okay to be where you are, while heading somewhere else. In fact, the only place you can start, is where you are right now. Having a personal vision does not mean your life changes overnight. But it will change. Your personal mission statement provides the steps to get you there.

Your Personal Mission Statement should answer three questions:

What is my life about (Purpose)?

What do I stand for (Values)?

What actions do I take to manifest my Purpose and my Values?

Stephen Covey writes that an empowering Mission Statement: 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's 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 the significant roles in your life. It represents a lifetime balance of personal, family, work, community-whatever roles you feel are yours to fill. Is written to inspire you-not to impress anyone else. It communicates to you and inspires you on the most essential level.

"Creating a Personal Mission Statement will be, without question, one of the most powerful and significant things you will ever do to take leadership of you life. In it you will identify the most important roles, relationships, and things in your life - who you want to be, what you want to do, to whom and what you want of give your life, the principles you want to anchor your life to, the legacy you want to leave. All the goals and decisions you will make in the future will be based upon it. It's like deciding first which wall you want to lean your ladder of life against, and then beginning to climb. It will be a compass - a strong source of guidance amid the stormy seas and pressing, pulling currents of you life." Stephen Covey, author of The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People

A Personal Vision/Mission can help propel you into a new job, or make your present job work better for you. The more connected your Personal Vision/Mission is to yourself, the better it can guide your career and your life.

Learn to Trust Your Inner Guidance

When we begin to feel lost or confused about various aspects of our lives, our first instinct is to search for direction. We feel sure that the answers we need are out there somewhere, and finding them will help us to know the right way to turn.

While seeking advice and guidance from others can be helpful at times, it is not always the best way to help ourselves. Rather than relying on someone else to tell us our truth, we can instead choose to look within and find the answers inside ourselves. Each of us has been given the gift of an inner advisor that will never steer us wrong.

This inner advisor is not pushy, however. He or she will not speak up unless we ask for help. When we finally open our hearts and minds to hear what our inner advisor has to say, the wisdom will begin to flow freely and our lives will begin to change for the better.

So, how do we tap this wealth of wisdom? Is there a request form we need to fill out somewhere? No, it's even easier than that, thank goodness. Following are tips to help you connect with your inner guidance and use it to create your best life:

1) Create a Harmonious Forum - our inner guidance flourishes in peaceful, quiet surroundings. If you've got a lot of noise and chaos around you, you won't be able to tap in and hear the wisdom waiting for you. Try to find a quiet place that you can relax in. You can also surround yourself with beauty by bringing in some fresh flowers, scented candles or incense, or even some soothing artwork. Whatever will help put you in a calm, peaceful mood.

2) Turn Within - if you're not a regular meditator, this can be tricky at first. You might wonder what the heck you're supposed to be turning "toward," or focusing on. The answer is simple: nothing. Focus on nothing. Simply close your eyes and turn your attention inward, to the silence within you. Random thoughts will probably keep popping in, but gently push them back out and return your attention to the silence.

3) Listen for Wisdom - if you've got a specific situation you're struggling with, this would be a good time to think about it. Try to do so without judgment, and without trying to come to any conclusions. Just ponder the issue and practice acceptance for what it is at this moment. Then ask yourself, "What would be the best course of action for me at this time?" Consider the possibilities before you, and think about how each one makes you feel. Most often, you will notice a difference between something that feels right, and something that feels wrong.

4) Let the Solution Materialize - if you don't recieve any insights initially, put the issue aside for awhile. By going through this process, you've already tapped into your inner guidance and asked for help. Even if the answer doesn't appear immediately, it will eventually. And in my experience, it doesn't take long! Just make an effort to stay open to the answer when it arrives. It will usually arrive in a flash of inspiration or insight that makes you say, "Ah ha!" Or perhaps it will be more along the lines of a subtle gut feeling, where you just know that one particular course of action "feels" right.

5) Act from the Heart - once you know what you need to do, act with confidence. Don't let worries or fears hold you back. Believe that your inner guidance knows what's best for you, and move forward with courage. Remember that there are truly no right or wrong paths in life, only experiences that we can learn from. By at least examining your options and considering which path is right for you at this time, you are making a wiser decision than you would otherwise.

At all times, strive to be your own master. There is nothing wrong with seeking knowledge and insight from others, but you aren't bound to mindlessly follow where they lead, either. You have the ability to find your own way and decide what's best for you. In your quest for knowledge, you will come across information that feels right to you, and information that doesn't seem to make sense. Use discernment and understand that there are many truths. You just have to find yours.

What's Your Life Purpose Vision

"Until one is committed there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too.

All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issue from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no many could have dreamt would come his way." W.H. Murray

Introduction

When self-employed, you quickly learn that your actions shape your life. Whether you thrive is up to you, and your lifestyle is the result of the money you generate. You have the right, the power, and the resources to create what you want. Begin by being clear and releasing fear, self-limiting attitudes and patterns. Allow yourself to visualize your dream, uncensored by the restrictions and conditioning from your past. Clarify your purpose, function, and vision, strategize the right plan, offer your service to those who are ready to buy, and you will succeed. Now you will begin with your Life Purpose Vision. If needed, ask your friend to help draw out your vision by asking additional probing questions based on your responses.

Complete this activity any time you want to:

- Focus your goals over a long period of time

- Clarify your purpose, function, or vision

- Review your long-term goals.

1. Purpose. What do you think is the fundamental purpose of your life? If you are not sure, what is your best guess? Your purpose should reflect why you believe you are alive for your own development, rather than for others.

2. Function. Based on your purpose, what do you think is your function in society?

3. Peak of Success Vision. In the same reflective mood, consider the point in your life at which you could be at the peak of your success. How old will you be? If you don't know, be playful and guess.

Now, consider the quality of life you want for yourself at that time. Answer in complete sentences. Visualize how you want to be living and experience how you want to feel. Describe:

- Where you live

- Your home environment and the people with whom you live

- Service, career and business

- Financial matters

- Professional support network

- Family, friendships and other relationships

- Your spare time and private time

- Your personal needs, health and well-being

- Spirituality

- Your modes of creative self-expression

- How you are empowered

- Above everything else, what do you want from your life?

When you have finished your vision, using a planning chart, write the titles of each category above in the spaces provided. Identify key elements of your vision, then write them in abbreviated terms in the appropriate category.

4. Support. How do you believe you are supported to fulfill your purpose, function, and vision? When you want support, from where do you seek it? When you don't feel supported, what do you do? Determine the effectiveness of this strategy. How do you want to feel supported? What will you do to experience the support you want?

5. Limitations. List and describe the self-limiting beliefs, fears, and patterns, by which you currently feel inhibited. (Example: I fear rejection, so I don't reach out. and stay stuck.) How does this affect your ability to succeed? Identify what you are ready to change and explain how you will accomplish it. With what will you replace these limitations?

6. Shadow. What need, desire or aspect of personality, do you most suppress or fear? For example, do you fear your anger? Or do you suppress positive attributes, such as sensitivity or love. (If you are not sure, ask someone close to you for help.) Why do you suppress or fear this? Explain how suppressing this affects you. Determine how you will stop suppressing it, and how to allow greater freedom of expression, and describe how you will feel. Describe how your life purpose, function, and vision will be enhanced.

7. Resources. List your internal strengths and resources and explain how they empower you. Review this list. Determine if anything is missing, and how you will acquire it. List your external resources and, next to each, explain how it is supportive. Review your list and determine needed resources, and explain how you will utilize them. Include costs and dates when appropriate.

8. Conclusion. How do you feel now? Why? Describe what you have gained from this visioning. Write a commitment statement to yourself and to your purpose, function, and vision. Read it daily. Share it with your mentors and the people closest to you, so that they are better able to support you.

Worksheet: Personal Alignment Assessment

Instructions: Take some time to reflect on the questions below and answer them honestly. Use the provided space to write down your thoughts and insights. This worksheet will help you assess if your intentions, beliefs, spiritual values, and mindset align with your life's purpose. After completing the assessment, review your responses to identify areas where you can create personal alignment.

Section 1: Intention and Purpose

1. What is your life's purpose or overarching goal? Write it down in a sentence or two.

2. How well do your daily intentions and actions align with your life's purpose? Rate on a scale of 1 to 10 (1 = not aligned at all, 10 = fully aligned).

3. Reflect on any misalignments you identified in question 2. What are the main reasons behind these misalignments? Write down your insights and observations.

Section 2: Beliefs and Values

1. What are your core beliefs and values? List at least three that are important to you.

2. Do your current beliefs and values support and align with your life's purpose? Explain why or why not.

3. Identify any conflicts or inconsistencies between your beliefs, values, and life's purpose. How do these conflicts affect your overall alignment? Note your thoughts and observations.

Section 3: Spiritual Values

1. Describe your spiritual values or beliefs, if applicable. This can include religious or philosophical principles that guide your life.

2. How do your spiritual values influence your intentions, actions, and overall alignment with your life's purpose?

3. Reflect on any discrepancies or challenges you face in integrating your spiritual values with your life's purpose. Write down any insights or ideas for overcoming these challenges.

Section 4: Mindset and Personal Growth

1. What is your current mindset or attitude toward personal growth and self-improvement?

2. How does your mindset contribute to or hinder your alignment with your life's purpose?

3. Identify any limiting beliefs or negative thought patterns that may be obstructing your personal alignment. What steps can you take to transform or overcome these obstacles? Write down your reflections and strategies.

Section 5: Creating Personal Alignment

1. Based on your responses in the previous sections, what actions can you take to create greater alignment between your intentions, beliefs, spiritual values, mindset, and life's purpose? List at least three actionable steps.

2. How will you hold yourself accountable for implementing these actions? Write down a plan or system to ensure consistent progress.

3. Reflect on the potential benefits and rewards of achieving personal alignment. How will it enhance your overall well-being and sense of fulfillment?

Take a moment to summarize your key insights from completing this assessment. Write down any final thoughts or commitments you wish to make to yourself regarding personal alignment and living in accordance with your life's purpose.

Key Note: This worksheet is intended for self-reflection and personal growth. Your answers should be based on your own experiences, Values, Dreams and Perspectives.