by Kory Koontz
Anyone in the construction business knows you don’t just walk outside one day and decide to begin building a house. In order to create a solid and sound structure, many steps are involved: beginning with a plan known as a blueprint. Within the blueprint are detailed instructions outlining the foundation and framework of the structure. If you wish to have perfect end-result, no matter what the desire, then anything you do requires methodical planning and proper execution. Such it is with personal development. You need to know what it is that you wish to achieve or to change in your life, see the end before the beginning, and properly prepare and carefully execute your strategy.
You’re probably familiar with the old saying, “If it’s to be, it’s up to me.” No cliché could hold more truth. You can have whatever you want in this life, as long as you are clear on the end picture and have a sound design to get you there. This can be in accordance with any area of your life, be it physical, financial, spiritual, educational, or personal. Additionally, every person needs a purpose: a clear-cut personal mission or vision-statement that directly ties into your personal values, morals, and desires.
What is a mission statement? Simply put, it is a personal directive stating your purpose and intent. Steven Covey, in his work First Things First, refers to developing a mission statement as “connecting with your own unique purpose and the profound satisfaction that comes from fulfilling it.” Once you have discovered and defined your passions, which should relate directly to your values, you are in a position to outline your purpose for being. Why are you here on the earth? What unique talents and abilities do you have to share? What is it that you hope to accomplish before you pass on? How can you make the world a better place? What virtues do you espouse to and wish to pass on to your ancestors? The answers to these and other intense thought-provoking questions can help you write a personal mission statement that depicts how you perceive your future and describes your dreams, goals, and hopes. It should also induce a feeling of accomplishment, achievement, gratification, pleasure, and success.
Author, Ralph Waldo Emerson, once stated, “Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.”
As we begin each new year, most people have the established habit of setting resolutions (goals) for the coming months. If the goal-setter is truly passionate and enthusiastic about their resolutions, the pathway is clear and the result is already etched in stone. The definition of the word goal is “the end toward which effort is directed.”—the key word being effort. By knowing precisely what you want to achieve (in a written format), you will know what you have to concentrate on to achieve your desired results. Many people are not specific and detailed in their planning or in their resolutions; consequently, they don’t put forth their best efforts to achieve their goals; thus, they fail! People who find themselves perpetually in this situation often lack a necessary continued focus and an essential detail for the steps to get them to the end of the path.
No matter what your calling, your hopes, your dreams, your goals, your passion, your talents, and/or your abilities, it is imperative to remember that we live in a world of abundance where you can have it all. Clearly defined and detailed written goals can give you clarity and purpose. An organized personal mission statement, based upon your values and tied into your goals, can give you direction and hope. It is always good to be reminded of why you are here and what you are trying to achieve, which can be accomplished regularly by reviewing your mission statement. You should never feel like you have “arrived.” Challenges last a lifetime and you should continually strive to be better every day. Goals and mission statements are designed to keep you on your chosen path.
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