Making Your Statement

Have you made a statement lately?

I'm not talking about clothes, cars, or any type of physical apparel or apparatus.

I'm talking about writing a personal statement. 

Just as businesses and organizations have mission statements to help define and solidify their purpose, an individual can also create his/her own personal mission statement.  A written declaration to bring clarity, supply focus, and provide a more purposeful life.

What a great tool this can be in discovering who you truly are!  I like to think of it as a map leading to incredible treasure, or the ultimate study guide for passing an important test.

This concept sounds great and all, but how does one go about putting together a mission statement? 

Let me share some of my strategies.  First, find some quiet time - time without distractions or interruptions.  Then, take this opportunity for some good, old fashioned soul searching.  What would you like to accomplish in your life?  Which things are most important to you?  You may want to examine where are you in your life and compare it to where you would like to be.  Is there a gap between the two?  Think of what's needed to bring your present reality and future dreams closer together.  

Make sure to write your ideas down; otherwise, some of these thoughts will be lost (I know from past experience).  Put this in a place where you can review it often, making changes as needed.  Keep revising until you are satisfied your finished product accurately reflects who you are, who you'd like to be, and how you'd like to accomplish that.  Place the final statement in a place where it will not be forgotten, and read it regularly.

What should the finished product look like?  It may be short and sweet, or long and wordy.  Perhaps it might only be a list of key words, or several ideas strung together in a cohesive paragraph.  I'll give you one guess which extreme mine looks like :)  Length doesn't matter, as long as it makes sense to you and serves the purpose it was created for.