Most successful institutions and businesses have explicit organizational mission statements to guide the actions of members throughout the organization. Most successful leaders have explicit personal mission statements to guide their actions throughout the day.

We can become swept up in the chaos of the world around us. We can find ourselves acting to address perceived crises, appease others, and chase false dreams. We can even find ourselves quite successful, but unless we have defined that success for ourselves, it leaves us feeling empty and dissatisfied.

Personal mission statements are declarations of independents, manifestos for radical individuals, and guides to Life’s explorers. They give us the power to control the direction of our lives. They embody who we strive to be. They remind us where we want to go.

This is a living document. It can be edited, revised, or completely rewritten as needed. I have found that I need to schedule regular times in the year to review my mission and assess personal goals and accomplishments. Others are more spontaneous. The first draft is far from your last draft. Your mission statement is something that grows and changes as you do.

Personal missions are not something that we can invent; rather, they are something that we discover. In Man’s Search for Meaning, psychiatrist and Holocaust survivor, Viktor Frankl writes, “Everyone has his own specific vocation or mission in life. Therein he cannot be replaced, nor can his life be repeated. Thus, everyone’s task is as unique as is his specific opportunity to implement it.” Our task is to interrogate our lives to discern what our individual missions are.

To draft your mission:

Grab your favorite pen and make yourself comfortable. You may want to meditate, bike ride to a park, or hike to a favorite outlook to put some space between you and the noise of the world.

When ready, ask yourself questions. Here are some suggestions:

• When am I am my best? At my worst?
• What do I love to do at work? In my personal life? With others? Alone?
• What would I do if I had unlimited money and time?
• What will people say about me on my 90^th birthday?
• Who are my heroes? What do I admire about them most?
• What do I have to offer the world?
• What roles define me (eg student, daughter, friend, activist, etc)? Are you happy with them?
• How do I want others to perceive me?
• What is my mission in life?
• What are your core values?

Write down your answer to these or other questions. This is for your eyes only. Be as open and honest as possible.

Once you finish, take a break to see if anything else emerges.

Read what you have written and see what is true for you. Highlight, circle, or underline the phrases, words, or sentences that stand out to you.

Put these select words together in any way that feels right to you.

Post your personal mission statement somewhere you will see it often: bedroom mirror, refrigerator door, nightstand, shower wall, or desk at work­. This will reinforce your core values and priorities ensuring your actions are congruent with your beliefs and desires. It can help you plan your day, make decisions, and create the life you want.

With Halloween around the corner, I thought it would be a good opportunity to explore our dark sides. Leaders must be fully aware of themselves, including those parts which are buried or hidden. These unseen parts of ourselves are referred to in Jungian psychology as our shadows. Often, leaders fail to find inspiration or inspire others because their shadows get in their way.

The Shadow

Carl Jung, the founder of analytical psychology and mentee of Sigmund Freud, defined our shadows as “an unconscious aspect of the personality which the conscious ego does not identify in itself” (Youth-Eisendrath and Dawson 1997: 319). The Jungian ‘shadow’ may include both positive and negative attributes of which an individual may not be aware of. These attributes and behaviors form at a young age as survival strategies.

Shadows come in two general varieties: sinister and golden. Our sinister shadows are those deeply held wounds and beliefs which lead to behaviors that sabotage or undermine our success and relationships. These are the behaviors which we engage in against our best interests (and better judgements).

Our golden shadows are those deeply held wounds and beliefs which lead to obscuring or denying our strengths and talents. These show up as the suppression of our personal power.

 

Identifying Shadows

Our shadows have a profound grip on our behavior. To overcome the power our shadows have over us, we must shine light on them and make them known. The following is a simple activity to begin to explore your shadows:

1) On a piece of paper, write the name of someone who drives you nuts.
2) Write the top two or three things about them that you cannot stand.
3) Look at the things you have written and think about the following:
• Where else have these attributes appeared in your life?
• Are these characteristics that you have?
• Are they patterns that you have struggled against since childhood?
• Why do these characteristics stand out as bad?
This gives you a glimpse of some of your sinister shadows.
4) Repeat with someone who you greatly admire. This gives you a glimpse of some of your golden shadows.
Remember, the world is a mirror upon which we project our hidden selves.

 

Tim Dzurilla

Graduate Assistant, Leadership Learning Community

Sources:
Young-Eisendrath, P. and Dawson, T. 1997. The Cambridge Companion to Young. Cambridge University Press.