One of the things I try to do each morning, usually as I'm walking my two grehounds, is to "connect to my mission" (See Stephen Covey First Things First, 6 step weekly planning process), which usually consists of talking to myself as I'm walking down the street. It is usually pretty early in the morning, so I'm counting that not too many neighbors are up or at least are not looking out the window to see me doing it. I recite my mission, (sometimes in the shower if not walking the dogs) out loud, and use it to try to get the day off to a good start to remind myself of what is truly important in my life. What follows is the actual mission statement and in brackets, credit for the sources for each part of it. My mission statement is a mosaic, if you will, of different ideas from different sources and has been about 15 years in the making, and continues to evolve today.
In future posts, I will elaborate on different parts of it, as my whole idea with my future book is really a more in depth look at all the areas covered in the statement and how to apply them in every day life in order to live to the fullest.
So here goes:
"I am the hero of my own life. (Andrew Bernstein) I have high energy, I have the ability to energize others around a common goal. I have the edge to make tough, yes or no decisions. I have the ability to execute those decisions and get results. I have passion." (Jack Welch)
"Today I will align myself with cherishing reality, focusing and having fun, so that I may have the energy that I need to enthusiastically, live, love, learn and leave a legacy of excellence." (James Redfield, Stephen Covey, Ayn Rand)
"I will be proactive (Covey) and grateful so that I may remain aware of, and profit from, all aspects of reality, especially those golden opportunities that could be disguised as hardships or problems."
"I will begin always with my mission in mind, (Covey) so that I may continually evaluate what the true priorities are in my life, taking care not to be a second hander (Ayn Rand) or a people pleaser." (12 Steps)
"I will keep those first things first (Covey, or 12 steps) every day, by choosing to think rationally (Rand) and choosing to act in accordance with reason, purpose and self-esteem." (Rand)
"Asking with intent, listening without excuse, acting with courage." (Covey)
"Think. Decide. Act."
"By doing this I will be adhering to the following spiritual principles, rationality, integrity, independence, honesty, justice, productiveness and pride." (Rand)
"From these will naturally follow, open mindedness, (12 steps), courage, (Rand) optimal state management (Tony Robbins), willingness, conscience, imagination, self-awareness, serenity, style and grace." (Covey, 12 steps)
"I will think and I will live in the spirit of win-win (Covey), earning rewards for myself by bringing true value to others, but I will never live my life for the sake of another man, nor ask another man to live for mine." (Rand)
"I will seek first to understand, then seek to be understood, synergizing (Covey) with other worthwhile ideas and energy (Redfield) in order to multiply, with other people of ability (Rand) what I could produce alone."
"I will continually improve myself, by keeping proper balance between producing, relaxing, having fun and achieving personal growth, physically, financially, emotionally, mentally, spriritually and socially which features being loyal to the absent." (Covey)
"I'm not brave enough to be a coward." (Rand)
"I will die try trying my very best, with style and grace." (12 steps and movie "Life is Beautiful")
"Work like you don't need the money, love like you've never been hurt, dance like you do when nobody's looking" (source unknown)
"Choose to be happy. Smile when you're speaking." (source unknown)
"Lunge Forward!" (Cary Mullen)
"I am the hero of my own life. I have high energy, I have the ability to energize others around a common goal. I have the edge to make tough, yes or no decisions. I have the ability to execute those decisions and get results. I have passion."
Nov 29, 2009
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Great stuff, the kind of thing that could only be compiled over 15 years of living and learning. I especially like the 'It's A Wonderful Life Reference', a story close to my heart.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing this it is invaluable.
Best Regards,
Andrew
I like that movie too. I just realized though, I meant..."Life is Beautiful" the itialian movie that won the oscar... thanks for checking in to this. Greatly appreciated!
ReplyDeleteNote above. Andrew's comments refer to "It's a Wonderful Life" which I've since corrected in my blog as per my last comment to "Life is Beautiful".... Incidentally, "It's a Wonderful Life", used to be one of my favorite movies, and I still think Jimmy Stewart is an icon, but I've since come to realize that the movie is profoundly anti capitalist, picturing Potter as the evil capitalist, and Stewart's character as the banker with a heart as the hero. In reality, lending money to people just because they need it, would drive the bank into the ground, and a good banker, unlike Potter would not be motivated solely by greed, but by responsibility to handle depositors' money responsibly, in order to protect it and make a profit keeping the bank solvent. Interesting to see what current practices have led to in our current economic crisis, where governments made it possible for banks to lend money to people who couldn't afford it and irresponsible bankers went along, and the current situation is the proof of the pudding.
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