Welcome back to the Begin Fresh : 7 Days to Your Best Year Yet! :: Day 4
This is where you’ll switch gears and look to the future. Don’t let that scare you though. You’ve already done the hard work in your reflection exercises. If you’re just joining us, you can start Day 1 here.
You’re not behind, because …
Today is the best day to take action on your dreams!
Yesterday you finished your reflection by taking a trip up in the clouds for a bird’s eye view of the different areas’s of responsibility + focus in your life.
Here are my answers to yesterdays review of the areas of responsibility or focus :
Faith :: beliefs in God, others and ourselves :: 8
On my birthday in 2010 I decided to follow the daily practice outlined the book The Divine Mentor and read a Bible passage from his reading plan each day using the SOAP method of journalling. While what I do has changed + evolved over the years, making time for this habit has remained as the foundation of my day. This one daily habit has guided me through the challenges of life, brought me more joy than I could imagine + grown me like nothing else.
Family :: spouse and children, yes fur babies count :: 7
Our little family unit is something special. We’ve journey though the tough stuff of life together and come out the other side stronger + closer. This year was different. Making time to count our blessings, celebrate life + have adventures is something that we’re constantly getting better at.
Home :: place you live from, surroundings :: 6
We did a massive spring clean and gave our attention to many things about our home. We still have the garage to tackle this year and I look forward to scoring myself higher at the end of the year.
Health :: mental and physical inc. habits, routines and unconscious choices of who we are :: 8
I’m thankful for the growth this year personally and as a family. Our family meetings have been an integral part of making sure we’re taking care of ourselves. While my daily routines ensure I look after myself. After all, life is a marathon, not a sprint.
Wealth :: finances now and future :: 6
While we did some serious reorganising and set ourselves up for future growth. I need to make consistent time for bookwork. This activity easily slips by the way side as it’s not something that energises me like designing does. I will to do better this year and make bookwork a part of my routines.
I’m using the Classic Planner for Begin Fresh with a splash of paint, washi tape and word stickers.
Social :: rest and relax, enjoy life inc. extended family, friends, colleagues :: 6
My personality leans more toward doing, than relaxing. I can always improve in this area and have set some personal goals to connect more often with extended family + friends. I embraced having a night for myself each week last year and will be continuing that this year.
Earn :: what you do to make a difference in the world through paid work :: 6
My days are a mix of schooling our son + work. They are fluid and flexible depending on what need to happen that day. While life’s different that when I was working full time and when he attended day school, I know my contribution though what I do is just as valuable, if not more so right now and for the next few years.
Learn :: personal and business development, study, home schooling :: 7
I always feel like I could learn more. The challenge is applying what I learn. My aim is to implement more than I learn this year.
Day 4 :: Mission
Today as you look over what you’ve written so far you’ll get an idea of what’s important you as you write out a simple mission statement.
Your vision statement fuels you for what you do each day. It prepares you for the challenges ahead. It’s an encouraging reminder of why you do what you do. And it helps you overcome the fear, doubt and uncertainty that shows up when you take action on your goals.
I’ll share my answers tomorrow along with the next exercise that takes a looks into the future as you discover your why, your motivation, the fuel you’ll need to overcome the fears, doubts and uncertainty that’s ahead as you reach for your goals in 2018.
The planner worksheets for today’s exercise can be found in my 2018 planners and the journalling prompts for today’s reflection is on pages 18-22 of the FUSElife Planner Playbook.
Today’s exercise
Your mission statement is divided into three parts : purpose, principles | values and beliefs. It’s a summary of what guides you, the why behind what you do.
Purpose :: why you’re here and in a way that reflects your uniqueness. This is a simple statement that helps you find value in what you do. Your mission statement doesn’t have a deadline.
I believe that living a meaningful life doesn’t only come from what we do, it is founded in what God has already done for us. This is why my faith is so strongly tied to the plans I make. And it’s this perspective that enables me to see both the big and small things I do as valuable. It’s also helped me find more joy in what I do, especially things like laundry and preparing meals. I now see them as gifts I give rather than the necessary mundane I once did.
I have a personal purpose statement that is more general and a separate one for business that reflects a unique quality about me.
Principles | Values :: guiding principles that you live your life by. Think of them as a compass that guides your choices in a way that helps you reach your goals.
Principles may include things such as kindness, honesty + integrity. While values are important for expressing our individual beliefs and opinions like creativity, adventure + curiosity.
If you’re stuck, think about what pushes your buttons. What gets you annoyed or frustrated? By looking at the opposite of these things you’ll discover what you value most. it may be friendships, justice, boldness … you get the picture.
Pick three principles + values that will guide your actions this year.
Beliefs :: why we can live this way
What you believe has an enormous impact on the action you take or more importantly what you don’t do. You can have goals that you desperately desire to make happen but for whatever reason you just never seem to be able to make progress on them. The reason may be that you have a personal belief that is overriding your best efforts.
For me the decisions I make are founded in what I believe about God, others and myself.
The one simple activity that I do daily to help me uncover any negative beliefs, celebrate my wins and stay focused on the journey ahead is gratitude journalling. I’ll talk more about that in an upcoming article. If you want a journal to start journalling each day, click on the button below.
For now think about the beliefs you need to have so you can live in a way that will help you achieve your goals.
To recap any of the Begin Fresh days, click the quick links below :
Day 4 :: Mission [ you are here ]
Write a simple mission statement about why you’re here and in way that reflects your uniqueness. Use it to encourage you as you take action on your goals each day.
Share how you’ll use your mission statement for encouragement in the comments below.
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