DEVELOP A PERSONAL MISSION STATEMENT

A personal mission statement serves as a guide to keep your life on track. A personal mission statement provides an opportunity for you to align your goals with your core beliefs and values and focus on what you want to accomplish. The best mission statements are a brief three or four sentences long. 

Develop a personal mission statement through self-assessment and planning. Answer the following questions to determine your core beliefs, values, and goals:

·        Who do you want to become?

·        What do you wish to accomplish in life and why? (Consider all areas of your life such as family, work, spirituality, community, hobbies, etc.).

·        What have you accomplished so far? Consider all areas of your life.

·        What do you stand for; what values are important to you?

·        What character traits do you consider important?

·        What do you treasure most in life?

·        How do you want to be remembered?

·        How can you make your life and the lives of others better?

·        What actions can you take that will have the most positive affect on your life?

Example personal mission statement: To live each day to the fullest and appreciate and enjoy the blessings I have been given. To use my talents and skills to better my life and that of my family. To treat others with respect. To never stop learning.

What will your personal mission statement say about you?

It's Goal Setting Time Again

Yesterday started a new year, which means many people will be looking to make a fresh start. If you plan to set 2016 goals for yourself, there are a few steps you can take to ensure success. Start by making sure your goals are attainable, measurable, and specific to you. 

·         Create your goals. What are your hopes and dreams for the new year? Goals must be something you really want and are able to attain or you are setting yourself up for defeat. State the goals in specific terms. Write down the goals. People who write goals are more likely to achieve them.

·         Break the goals down into specific steps. Large, time-consuming tasks are daunting. It’s easier to work on goals when you can take them a step at a time.

·         Create an action plan so you know where you must focus your energy to attain the goals. Take the steps you’ve listed for attaining your goals and develop an action plan for completing each of them. What is the first thing you will do? What comes next? Take your personal strengths and preferences into consideration.

·         Create a timetable for reaching the goals. By creating a timeline and setting a deadline, you will be able to determine if you are on target to reach the goals.

·         Create a daily to-do-list and copy the steps from your action plan onto it. Prioritize and work your way through the list.

·         Determine how you will hold yourself accountable for reaching the goals. Who will you tell about the goals? How will you motivate yourself? What will you do if you fall short? Don’t let setbacks keep you from achieving your goals.

·         Be positive and flexible.

·         Assess how you are doing periodically regarding the achievement of the goals.

·         Change what is not working. 

It’s a fact that people who set goals achieve more. Why not give yourself all the breaks you can get in 2016? With set goals and enough of the right action, you can achieve your dreams.

Summertime is Fun Time!

Summer provides an opportunity for fun and relaxation. Take some time to enjoy the season with family and friends. We want to have successful careers, but we should remember to cultivate relationships along the way.

Here some tips to keep your summer enjoyable: 

• Live in the moment; don’t think about everything else you have to do but rather enjoy what you are doing right now.
•  Adopt healthy habits.
•  Spend some time in the outdoors; nature has a lot to offer during this time of year.
• Leave work at work.
• Schedule some fun activities with family and friends.
• Re-evaluate where you are in life and where you want to go from here.
• Forget about things you cannot change.
•  Find solutions to problems rather than dwell on them.

Enjoy the summer!

Evaluating and Keeping in Balance

As summer winds down, it’s time to reap what has been sown for the season. Did you accomplish what you wanted? Think of what you have been reaping with your goals, plans, ideas, and daily activities. Have they been moving you closer to your hopes, dreams, and aspirations? Now is the time to take a look at your harvest and separate the good from the bad. Keep what is working and amend or get rid of what isn’t with an eye always on that future goal/dream.

Don’t forget to find time for the things that are important to you as well as those that are necessary. Attend to that part of you that likes to be nurtured by reading, writing, meditating, visiting friends or relatives, and so forth. Only when we have balance in our lives can we achieve our best. Balance is best attained by attending to our physical, mental, and spiritual selves.