by Bradley Davidson

Have you read or heard about someone who is truly making a difference in the world? Have you met someone who is energized and excited about his or her life? Or maybe you've known someone who quietly goes about the business of living his or her life with integrity, passion, and purpose.

We've probably all known, or at least heard about, someone who lives their passion and purpose. We've also probably asked ourselves, "What makes it possible for that person to live that kind of life?" or "How can I live that way?" The exciting is news is YOU CAN! Individuals who life a purposeful life tend to have a few things in common that makes this kind of wonderfully passionate life possible. In this article, we will look at some of these common threads and explore how to put them into practice in your life.

Explore and clarify your values

Values are the beliefs of a person or a group in which they have a strong emotional investment. Every single one of us has a set of values. Each of our value systems is different, but we all have them. If you don't believe me, think about the last time someone said or did something that really made you angry. Chances are that individual said or did something that was in direct contrast to your values. Each of us has a system of values.

A clear understanding of your values is the foundation on which purposeful people build their authentic lives. We would never dream of building a house on a faulty foundation or, worse yet, no foundation at all. The first storm that came along would wash it away. Our life purpose is much like the house. We need to build it upon a strong understanding of the values we hold close to our hearts. Without this firm foundation, the first storm of life or challenge to our purpose that comes along can wash away our purpose and our dreams. These values are also woven throughout our living to keep us on track and to define "how" we live our life of purpose. In other words, our values are the foundation as well as the "how" of the way we live our lives.

You may be asking, "How do I create this firm foundation" upon which to build my life?" "How do I clarify my values?" You create and clarify these values by looking deeply inside yourself through introspection, meditation, prayer, and by keenly listening. Here are some tips for clarifying your values:

- Make a list of the beliefs in your life in which you have a strong emotional investment. Make a list of the top 5 beliefs that, above all others, define you. They could be beliefs such as your commitment to your family, your belief in God, your commitment to honesty and integrity, etc.

- Meditate or pray to gain clarity about your values. Spend some "alone time" thinking about which of these values are most important.
%u2022 Ask a trusted friend who knows you well to verbalize the value system he or she sees you demonstrating.

After a time of thinking, study, talking with others, and reflecting, your values will become clearer to you.

Articulate your vision, mission, and objectives

Now that you have clarified your value system, it is time to define your life vision. Your life vision is a statement that clearly articulates how you would like to see the world. Here is an example of a vision statement:

A community in which every individual, regardless of who or where they are, has a
meaningful and profitable occupation which provides appropriate financial support and sustains the emotional well-being of the individual and family.

As you can see, the vision is not about "how" you will contribute to that vision and it doesn't contain specific goals. It is simply the vision of what you would like to see in the world, your community, your family, etc. This vision is closely tied to your personal foundation; your value system. If you've completed an honest assessment of your values and if your vision is true for you, you will see they are highly connected.

How do you create a vision? Dream big! Spend some time thinking about what a perfect world (or community or family) would look like. Maybe it is a world without hunger. Maybe it is a local community with no crime. Perhaps it is a family that loves each member and is committed to each other's success and happiness. Try writing a sentence that articulates your vision.

Next comes the mission statement. While the vision is about how you would like to see the world, the mission is more specific. It defines your purpose for being. It is aligned with your vision. In other words, my mission is my life purpose and is aimed at making my vision a reality. When thinking about your mission in life, here are some things to consider:

- Is my mission aligned with my personal values?
- Is my mission aligned with my vision?
- Does my mission utilize my God-given gifts and abilities?
- Is there a need in the world for what my mission offers?

Here is an example of a mission statement:

To be a key instrument in helping people prepare for and land a job which provides
the appropriate financial and emotional support and well-being for the individual and
his family.

Do you see how this mission articulates the role you will have in your vision?

Next comes the creation of your strategy for achieving your mission. But before creating your strategy, it's critical to identify the gap between where you are and where you want to be in terms of living your mission. An honest self-inventory is useful, at this point, to identify what needs to happen to get you to your life purpose or mission. This could include additional skills, competencies, new relationships, or any number of things that will help you close the gap between the "here and now" and the "there and then".

Finally, it is important to set objectives. An objective is a specific, measurable, and achievable goal(s) against which you measure your performance. Using our example of helping people become employed, one objective might be to provide support to ten people in your community; helping at least 60% of them find employment. Having a measurable objective will help you hold yourself accountable to your mission.

Create your strategy

Your strategy is the high-level game plan for achieving success in your mission and related objectives. It is high level because it does not contain the individual steps needed to achieve the mission; but the high-level plan for how you intend to achieve the goal, using all your available resources.

It is important to clarify, articulate, and even write out your strategy. Here is a simple example of the mission, objectives, and strategy:

Mission: To be a key instrument in helping people prepare for and land a job which
provides the appropriate financial and emotional support and well-being for the individual
and his family.

Objectives:
- To provide career services that impact 25 families in my city within the next 18 months.
- A 75% improvement in employment (defined as unemployed becoming employed and/or employed finding more lucrative employment) among the individuals who use my services.
- A 75% improvement in quality of family life as measured by a before/after survey of those individuals to whom I provide services.

Strategy:
- Becoming a well-known and respected job and career expert in the community
- Offering high-quality, high-value skills training, job-search training, and career coaching
- Creating partnerships with community employers

Set your action plan and goals
Now that you've done the hard work of understanding your values, articulating your vision, mission & objectives, and creating your strategy, it's time to build your action plan. Your action plan is the plan that contains the actual steps and actions you will take to put your strategy to life and achieve your mission and objectives.

Your action plan should contain a series of steps or actions that are very specific and aligned with your strategy. Here are some examples of action plan steps:

Action Plan
- Complete resume-writing training
- Write an article for the "jobs" section of my local newspaper
- Contact Jim about serving as a monthly career columnist in the monthly community newspaper
- Meet with two employers per week to build employer partnerships

While I did not illustrate in my example, it is a good idea to put target dates on each of your action plan steps. These are the dates by which you plan to have each step completed. This will help you hold yourself accountable to the plan.

Execute!
Now, the fun part! It's time to execute! You have built your strategy and have thoroughly planned your course of action, now it's time to act! The best advise that can be given at this point is "Just Do It!"

Here are some tips to help you execute consistently:

- Create appointments with yourself to accomplish specific tasks. Others schedule appointments with you to get some of your time. You should do the same for yourself. Block off a half-hour each day to work on key action plan items.
- Enlist the help of a trusted friend to help stay focused. Tell your friend what you are doing. Share your vision, your mission, and your strategy. Ask him or her to check in with you occasionally to see how you are progressing on your action plan.
- Make time to read or listen to inspirational stories of people who have made a difference. This is especially important when you run into roadblocks. These stories of inspiration will keep you thinking optimistically.
- Make time for yourself. It's important to eat well, sleep well, and exercise. Make sure you are taking care of yourself while you execute on your plan.
- Stay connected spiritually. Remember to pray, meditate, and remain grateful for your vision, your mission, and the strength you've been given to accomplish it.

Have fun!

Copyright 2008 - Bradley Davidson