Hello Leaders,
Welcome to Today. This week's Leadership and Personal Development blog is on Personal Mission.
Maxim: Know what were you put on the earth to do.
Many very successful people know what they were born to do (personal mission) and why they were called to do it (personal purpose). You would do well to develop and write your personal mission statement. It answers the question, "What am I supposed to be doing?" This comes before setting goals. It comes before developing strategies. Your personal mission serves as your guide to ensure your goals and strategies are aligned. It will help you stay focused and make better decisions. it will help you accomplish so much more in your life. Consider Oprah Winfrey's personal mission statement. “To be a teacher. And to be known for inspiring my students to be more than they thought they could be.” Her mission drives her actions. She is a very accomplished person.
One of my favorite movies is from 1980, The Blues Brothers. It's premise is about them having clarity, knowing what they are supposed to do, realizing their mission. Jake Blues, just out from prison, puts together his old band to save the Catholic home where he and his brother Elwood were raised. That's their mission! All the decisions they would make would be in relation to their mission.
Many may question the logic behind Richard Branson's penchant to be so adventurous. Some of the stunts he pulls are too dangerous for a CEO, right? Understanding his mission will help understand him a bit more. It is "To have fun in (my) journey through life and learn from (my) mistakes." If I may paraphrase and extrapolate, his personal mission is to experience life to its fullest while enjoying and learning from it.
Perhaps not many but some have written personal mission statements. That is very key. It needs to be written and should be read on a consistent basis. This will help you move from an aspirational statement to an actual mission. I have seen many mission statements in several companies. The great companies have missions that are actual. Others have missions that are aspirational. This means they write and say one thing but they do something different. Their culture and their mission statement are in conflict.
I want to challenge you to take some time to really define your mission in life. What are you supposed to be doing? It may take several days or even several months. But once you have the answer and you are sure, it will bring clarity to your life. My personal mission is to help bring out the best in others. This is why Apogee Leadership Group, LLC was created. Our major focus is on personal development (bring out the best in individuals) and leadership (train others to bring out the best in others).
You have a specific mission. Know what you were put on earth to do. While discovering your mission is a unique journey, I offer these 10 questions for you to answer as you begin your quest of discovery.
1. What would you do if time and finances were of no concern?
2. What would you teach if you had the skills and could teach anything?
3. What do you value most?
4. What do you do that brings value to others?
5. What are you really passionate about doing?
6. What are you really good at doing?
7. What are your top 3 hobbies?
8. Who are your heroes and why?
9. What would you like on your tombstone (what should be written about you)?
10. What would it look like to live a life of no regrets?
There are more questions to ask. Again, these will help you start down the path of answering, "what was I put on earth to do?" Please share if you have additional questions that can help others discover their mission.
Are you ready for more success? It's yours. Get clarity! Discover your mission and work your way to success. If you need help in this area, please contact me. Let me help bring out the best in you and/or your organization.
That's it for now. Until the next tip....
Mike Nwankwo
Founder & CEO
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