|
|
 |
Finding Your Mission
By Marcel Schwantes
 |
| Photo:Stock.xchng |
Imagine being confronted with a "life or death" need to know what your true mission in life is. Many of us would probably be forced to reexamine who we are, and what we're really about. Those who have never known what it's like to feel a commitment and burning passion to a cause would suddenly know, deep down inside, that they came with a purpose far greater than to “make money,” "survive" or "make ends meet."
That was me eleven years ago. My adult journey up to that point was a case study of a man ruled by his own arrogance and selfishness, not aware that the life choices he made were misguided with no spiritual compass or map.
Accountability and integrity were only distant acquaintances of mine. “What's in it for me?” was the make and model of my vehicle of choice. Impulsiveness and an ego the size of the Grand Canyon were frequent passengers on this perpetual joy ride down the boulevard of broken relationships and bad career choices. A sabotaged marriage and a painful divorce later, I began to realize the pattern of my dysfunction. The beginning of the process of change encapsulated one word: surrender.
When my ego waved the white flag I came to God asking questions I would not have asked before. I wasn't looking for suggestions. I wasn't looking for advice. I was looking for life instructions. Show me the manual. Feeling five again, I would have done whatever I was told. Sit down, stand up, be quiet, eat my spinach....yes God.
In a world in which we are daily forced to make decisions that lead us either closer to or further from our goals, I needed a template to guide me through life. I decided to pursue crafting my very own personal mission statement in hopes of answering the question, “What is my mission in life?”
Laurie Beth Jones, in her book "The Path," defines a mission statement as "the key to finding your path in life and identifying the mission you choose to follow. Having a clearly articulated mission statement," she adds, "gives one a template of purpose that can be used to initiate, evaluate, and refine all of one's activities."
Defining one’s mission statement is a process of careful introspection. People cannot find their missions until they know themselves. Somewhere along the stages of self-discovery, one may arrive at an uncomfortable new place. A common theme is that our fear is stronger than our desire for fulfillment. Do I want to continue, or should I take the easier way out and maintain the status quo of my existence? Living a life of purpose, a life based on one’s values, is a rare accomplishment indeed.
My process of self-discovery began after I took a “life design” course with several self-assessment inventories and exercises to discover my God-given purpose, clarify my core values and pursue identified goals. These exercises helped identify who I was and “further the action” of who I wanted to become. It identified “energy drainers”— people, places and things I needed to remove from my life that were a detriment to my personal and spiritual growth. This is often a difficult stage for the non-committal. For me, it was full speed ahead.
By the end of my self-discovery process, plus several invaluable coaching sessions with a Life Coach, I had finally sculpted my own mission statement:
My mission is to live with integrity and to make a difference in the lives of others.
After crafting the template for my mission statement, my choices became transformed by a motivation for helping others to grow and to realize their full potential, rather than bowing to the greed-god that once ruled my decision-making process. I no longer sought to get what I wanted at the expense of others. My confidence was no longer misplaced on image and materialism. My fleeting superficial lies as an insecurity to “look good” began to disappear. Arrogance turned to self-respect. Self-interest became service to others.
As you sculpt your own mission statement, it’s important to remember that it will carry you through life’s most difficult and challenging moments, even when you lose or don't have a job (jobs are only a means towards your mission, not an end in themselves). Your mission will be broad enough to cover all your interests and activities. And your mission, you will soon find out, will be perfectly suited to your personality. It says, “This is what I am about!”
______________________________
|
|
