My Pondering
The four elements are essential keys to a powerful life mission. It’s vitally important to craft a life mission statement for yourself, just as it is for a business to do so for its existence. Creating a life mission statement helps filter and guide the overall and critical decisions one needs to make in life. If we don’t make these decisions intentionally, someone else will make them for us.
#1 – Principle
Principles are the qualities and foundational core values in which you strive to live upon, those in which you vow to uphold in every situation you face in life. They are important elements of your character that define the quality of your integrity.
Principles can’t be bought with money but they can earn it.
- Manners – being kind and respectful to others
- Morals – doing the right thing with integrity
- Respect – the position someone holds
- Character – the quality of one’s conduct
- Common Sense – not quite so common theses days
- Trust – hard to gain, easy to lose
- Patience – all good things are worth waiting for and sometimes it ‘is what it is’.
- Class – honorably carrying yourself with dignity and manners
- Hard work – giving you best effort to whatever you decide to do while doing it consistently
- Organization – Most everything with a place and in its place
- Cleanliness – clean and neat as cleanliness is an element of godliness
- Honesty – is the best policy
What are your BIG WHYs?
Which are the principles are near and dear to you?
Reflect and list out several of the most important ones to you.
#2 – Passion
Passion is the emotional force that drives a person. You would do these things for free most days, any time. They charge, energize and fill your soul with abundance.
Love what you do
and do what you love.
Like Eric Liddell experienced in the movie Chariots of Fire when he said that when I run, I feel closest to God. God made me to run fast. Here is his quote:
“God made me for a purpose. God made me fast and when I run, I feel His pleasure.”
What activities empower you?
List those.
#3 – Proficiency
Proficiencies are the talents and skills that you are above average in executing. Being proficient means that a task is done both fast and well, quickly without quality suffering.
Think about the subjects in school you earned excellent grades without having to study extraordinary.
All new endeavors take time to master; crawl, walk and run. But which ones do you run well and long?
What areas of life do you excel and crush it?
Which tasks are you naturally good at?
Which ones have you developed via education and experience?
Note what you are especially good at (this is not the time to be bashful).
#4 – Pain
A great purpose is to ‘comfort the afflicted’ and ‘afflict the comforted’ to take positives steps forward.
You likely may have been a bit startled or curious about why Pain would be on this list. There are two types of pain: good pain and bad pain. Good pain comes from growth, exercise, expansion, change, etc., while bad pain comes from carelessness, recklessness, evil behavior, etc.
Sacrifice is required, as the saying holds true: ‘no pain / no gain’. We have to ‘give up to go up’ at times. Great things are worth working for and waiting for. A true measure of a successful life is helping people be happy to forcefully extend what that means while providing relief and prevention of bad pain.
What are you willing to sacrifice and give up to go up to fulfill your mission and obtain your goals?
List those now.
Your mission statement
It is time to harmonize each of the four P’s. Now, write out your personal life and mission statement. Keep it in front of you, revisit it regularly, memorize it, internalize it and do it every day for the rest of your life.
TIP: If you are struggling, enter your notes into ChatGPT, give it elements of your persona and ask it to produce one. Then reflect upon it and tweak it to fit like a glove.
TIP: Once written, share with a few friends, mentor, etc and get some feedback.
BONUS: Share you mission statement here.