Reflection

For a very long time, I really believed that having a purpose meant discovering just that one truly exceptional thing I was meant to accomplish with my life. I often pictured that someday I’d finally grasp exactly what I was meant to do – and from then on, every choice would become crystal clear. Real life proved to be far less dramatic. I had many different objectives, duties, hobbies, friendships, and career aspirations – yet they rarely all pointed in the exact same direction at once. At times I worked incredibly hard towards something only to discover later that achieving it didn’t quite bring me the fulfillment I had hoped for. Occasionally, I even found myself agreeing to new opportunities mostly because they seemed highly regarded by others or appeared very impressive indeed. In due course, I began asking myself a much more practical question: instead of trying to locate that ideal single purpose, could I actually create my own set of guiding principles for my life? Asking this question really led me to explore the concept of creating a personal mission statement.

A personal mission statement is essentially a brief expression of the core values, top priorities, and underlying principles that I aspire to live by each day. I don’t see it as some sort of strict agreement dictating every single future move. Rather, I consider it a kind of spiritual compass. A compass doesn’t give away your entire itinerary, but rather helps you know if you’re heading in roughly the right direction. My personal mission statement serves as a gentle reminder of what counts most often when there are many demands vying for my time and energy.