Stephen Covey proposes in his superb book “The 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People” that beginning with “the end in mind” is best founded with the composition of a personal mission statement. They are normally the reserve of businesses and corporations, but sum up simply what you are and what you want to achieve.

Covey describes a personal mission statement like this:

It focuses on what you want to be (character) and to do (contributions and achievements) and on the values and principles upon which being and doing are based. You could call it a personal constitution - the basis for making major, life-directing decisions in the midst of the circumstances and emotions that affect our lives.

Once you have that sense of mission, you have the essence of your own proactivity. You have the vision and values which direct your life. You have the basic direction from which you set your long and short term goals. You have the power of a written constitution based on correct principles, against which every decision concerning the most effective use of your time, your talents and your energies can be effectively measured.

He then goes on to explain that we center our lives around certain things, mostly that are unhealthy, fallible or destined to collapse. We need 4 sectors of our being to be solid and grounded:

Whatever is at the centre of our life will be the source of our security, guidance, wisdom and power. These are interdependent.

• Security represents your sense of worth, your identity, your emotional anchorage, your self-esteem, your basic personal strength or lack of it.
• Guidance means your source of direction in life. Encompassed by your map, your internal frame of reference that interprets for you what is out there, or implicit criteria that govern moment by moment decision-making and doing.
• Wisdom is your perspective on life, your sense of balance, your understanding of how the various parts and principles apply and relate to each other. It embraces judgment, discernment, comprehension.
• Power is the faculty or capacity to act, the strength and potency to accomplish something. It is the vital energy to make choices and decisions.

My personal mission statement:

• To be the most amazing man you have ever met.
• To get all the things i want by helping enough people to get what they want.

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Guy Kawasaki is a leading proponent that the time-honoured corporate mission statement should be replaced by the much simpler concept of a mantra. The jury is out on this for me.

If i had to sum my own personal mantra up, it would be:

“Examine, help, fight.”

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And as such i also have developed a personal creed/constitution (”any system or codification of belief or of opinion” / “a system of fundamental laws and principles that prescribes the nature, functions, and limits“) over the last 10 years or so that i reference internally in all things:

• I will design my life to be one of significance, center myself around my principles rather than my feelings, and be a man of extraordinary unbreakable strength.
• I will live my life as an obituary in reverse, according to how i want to be remembered at my funeral.
• I will ceaselessly seek to develop and evolve myself mentally, intellectually, intuitively, emotionally and spiritually.
• I will see past people’s immediate emotional reactions and behaviour and “look inside” them to understand what makes them tick.
• I will obey and completely trust my Father, submit to His will and authority, and work tirelessly to untangle/dismantle the schemes of His enemy.
• I will act to help as many people as i possibly can, and give something to everyone i meet that changes their life.
• I will be a strong, dynamic and honourable leader that promotes effectiveness, efficiency and personal freedom.
• I will give everything i am and have to what i believe in so that i act with passion and conviction to inspire others.
• I will not allow my upbringjng or past to limit what i can achieve in my present or future, and will act to resolve issues that hold me back.
• I will set and maintain healthy personal boundaries in my social and professional lives.
• I will preserve the knowledge and wisdom i seek and subsequently acquire by sharing it with others as widely as i can.
• All of the projects, businesses and enterprise i become involved in will promote the development of spirituality, demonstrate new and innovate ideas and concepts and work towards the greater soclal good.
• I will not being involved in, or promote any activity that is centred around human exploitation or goes against the principles of my religious faith (pornography, fashion, sweatshops, gambling, New Age mysticism)
• I will be a wealthy man wiith a secure home, family and strong financial means and social influence.
• I will be a loving and highly involved father that validates his children and does everything possible not to pass on his emotional baggage to them.
• I will live, love and fight ferociously without hesitation or fear.
• I will not engage in violence, start a physical confrontation or harm anyone unless in self-defence of myself or those i love.
• I will intervene when necessary, get blood on my hands if i have to and will not be an apathetic bystander.
• I will not give up, be worn down or allow fear, intimidation or cowardice to control my life.
• I will be extremely dangerous, lethal to those who oppose me and fight to conquer my enemies rather than appease or please them to avoid conflict.
• I will not allow adverse circumstances, the insistence of other people or false testimony to interfere with what is right and true.
• I will not allow myself to be maniplated, controlled or influenced by the games and schemes of others.
• I will not lie or deceive unless it is absolutely necessary in the short term for the protection and security of those i love, and in their greater good.
• I will hold stupidity and mental inertia to be the greatest of sins.
• I will value honesty above all things, and will not promote or continue the lies of others.
• I will admit when i am wrong, work to be humble and forgive those who have harmed me.
• I will show compassion unconditionally where it is needed and not deliberately withhold it.
• I will pursue any end by whatever means necessary even if it violates my personal principles so long as it does not block communication with my Father.
• I will ruthlessly use, exploit and manipulate human nature to achieve my aims.
• I will rescue, protect, help and fight for the weak and vulnerable, and attack the corrupt and cruel.
• I will not value superficial material things, status symbols, distracting entertainment and irrelevant worldly concerns.
• All my beliefs i hold will be built on critical thinking, reason, evidence, understanding and wisdom, and will all have verifiable justification.
• I will not enable addiction, compulsion, wrongful thinking, stupidity or codependence, or comfort/spare others from the negative consequences of their choices.