For several months as a stay at home mom, I (Litsa) gave up the luxury of having a day planner that belonged to me since I was busy just being mom. However, I felt like a part of me was missing and there were notes everywhere—-a list here, one there, last week’s list hidden under piles of papers, and my list of volunteer work and projects was growing. I felt like it was time to reinvest in a day planner that pulled together everything I was scheduling. I like organization. I like knowing that I have a direction to go in when I wake but “if someone asked [me] to name [my] goals, I’d probably have no problem rattling off a quick list: things like walking, getting medical debt paid off, budgeting, etc. What’s harder to identify are the reasons I set these goals in the first place.”
My current planner is set up for more reflections like these. “Understanding why I want to achieve them is what will truly motivate me to change my behavior and sustain it over the long term, Jack Groppel, Ph.D., says.”
Do you have a personal mission statement? Pinpointing your mission statement takes some honest thinking. Think through this list of questions to reflect where you are and where you’re going.
1. How would I want people to describe me?
2. What legacy do I hope to leave?
3. What makes me feel happiness or most fulfilled?
4. Why do these things matter to me?
5. How do I define success?
Now, having a personal mission statement isn’t enough if we don’t put it into action. Nor is life going to dramatically change for us just because we have a personal mission statement. However, there’s a focal point. Your personal mission statement “will inspire you to tackle the changes you need to make and see them through for the long haul.”
New habits are learned, begin with small changes over periods of time as you focus on your personal mission statement and watch every day fill with purpose.
Live life fully present with purpose.
Credit: Shape Magazine May 2015
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I use my planner to keep track of everything that needs doing in our household. I think it helps tremendously (at least me).
And, yes! Finding your why is so important. Mine is to have abundant time to spend with the people I love. I wrote about it here: http://everydaymindfulliving.com/simplify-saturday-finding-your-why/
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