So with Habit 1 being “You’re the driver of your life”, Habit 2 follows by saying “Since you’re the driver, decide where you want to go and draw up a map to get there.”

Sean poses a fun exercise that I’d like to share:  “In your mind’s eye, visualize someone walking toward you about half a block away. At first you can’t see who it is. As this person gets closer and closer, you suddenly realize, believe it or not, that it’s you. But it’s not you today, it’s you as you would like to be one year from now.

Now think deeply.

What have you done with your life over the past year?

How do you feel inside?

What do you look like?

What characteristics do you possess?  (Remember, this is you as you would like to be one year from now.)

Did you do it?  Could you even say what you wanted to be like one year from now, or are you currently a little stumped?

Either way, it’s ok!  If you’ve never stopped to think about your future, then it’s going to take a little self-reflection to get a clear picture of what you want it to look like, and that’s exactly why we’re here!

You can do that same exercise for 5 or 10 years down the road as well.

Can you see that if you don’t decide where you want your life to go, that it will just kind of take you “wherever”?

One way to begin with the end in mind is to write your personal mission statement!  It will give you the blueprints that you can live your life around.  Any time you are faced with a choice, you can mentally refer back to your mission statement to help you make sure you’re living the way you want to.

Here’s an example of a mission statement that I liked, submitted by a teen named Beth Haire:

First and foremost, I will remain faithful always to my God.

I will not underestimate the power of family unity.

I will not neglect a true friend, but I will set aside time for myself as well.

I will cross my bridges as I come to them (divide and conquer).

I will begin all challenges with optimism, rather than doubt.

I will always maintain a positive self-image and high self-esteem, knowing that all my intentions begin with self-evaluation.

“A personal mission statement is like a tree with deep roots.  It is stable and isn’t going anywhere, but it is also alive and continually growing.”

Life is so unpredictable, and you never know what is lurking around the corner.  There are things happening around you every day that you have zero control over.

“While everything about you changes, a personal mission statement can be your deep-rooted tree that never moves.  You can deal with change if you have an immovable trunk to hang on to.”

Your mission statement can be anywhere from several paragraphs, to just a couple words.  It can flow and make sense, or be a bunch of bullet points. It can be a poem or song if you want.  It can be written by yourself or by someone else. 

You can search online for examples of personal mission statements, and use them as inspiration to create your own, or just tweak them as you see fit.  There is no plagiarism involved with adopting someone else’s mission statement as your own, so don’t worry about that!  Just go with whatever resonates with you!

I’m going to keep this post short, since I have already said so much in a previous post; (click here) for more inspiration on defining your desires in life.

This chapter does go into some depth about setting goals, but I felt that deciding what you want in life was enough for now, as I don’t want to overwhelm you.  However, if you want to plow forward and make some goals to go along with your mission statement, all the more power to ya!

So that’s it for now!  Time to take action!

Baby Steps:

• Ponder who you want to be in 5-10 years from now, and what you want your life to look like.
• Write your mission statement and review it daily for 30 days (that’s how long it takes to develop a habit).  Let it guide you in all your decisions.
• Think about your goals.  Have you put them in pen and written them down?  If not, take the time to do it.
• Determine the 3 most important skills you’ll need to achieve your goals.  Do you need to be more organized, be more confident speaking in front of other people, or have stronger writing skills?

Stay tuned for next week’s habit that, instead of willpower, talks about “won’t power”.

All my love!