Your own purpose statement

What are you really good at? What things give you a deep sense of satisfaction? What skills have developed into personal strengths over the last couple years? These are gifts that God has given you and they are His way of blessing you so that you can invest in others. This is one way of approaching the question, "What is my purpose in life?"

We might be tempted to ask, "How can God use me?" or "Am I really important?" But we need to realize that each person does have a unique purpose, it just takes work to realize what that is and how to act on it. Another way of approaching these questions is to spend time developing a personal purpose statement and letting that statement guide your objectives and goals in everyday life.

In our last on-line class I shared with you the purpose statement that Ellie and I have developed. (You can listen in on that presentation using the link in the last post.) But I will give you a practical way of developing your own statement:

1. Name 2 people who have impacted you the most. What 2 qualities made them special? 
2. If you accomplished only 2 things in your life, what would they be? 
3. There are only 2 rules in life that everyone must follow. They are… 
4. Everyone has unalienable rights which are, “life, liberty, and the pursuit of _______”. 

After completing these statements, it should heavily impact how you answer the next set of questions:

1. Which of these statements identifies the things you would be willing to be uncomfortable for? 
2. Which of these statements identifies the things you would get in a fight about? 
3. Which of these identifies the things you would be willing to be ridiculed for? 
4. Which would you be willing to die for? 

You have now arrived at a clear understanding of what is of most value to you! If you are even willing to die for something, this is of the highest value and cannot be separated from who you are as a person. Now we can work these values into a personal purpose statement...

1. I will live as an example of ...
2. I will refuse to let my comfort distract me from ...
3. I will take every opportunity to ...

Now, rewrite your purpose statement using these actions. Then evaluate how you spend your time and determine to let your purpose statement guide your daily activities and decisions

1. What are your daily activities? List them by the amount of time each one takes.
2. Your top 2 priorities (goals that come from your purpose statement) should be the focus of 80% of your available time. (Remember the 80/20 priciple that we discussed!)
3. Write those on your hand, on the mirror or somewhere very visible to review every day. 
4. Evaluate how much time you put into those this next week. 

There is a website which might be of further use to you. It is not a Christian website, but the concepts are quite helpful and may be able to guide you in the process of developing a personal purpose statement:  www.franklincovey.com/missionbuilder/

One more thought: In Genesis 37, when Joseph was seventeen, he had a dream prophesying that he would someday rule over his brothers. This peek into his destiny filled him with self-confidence; he was a young man who was destined to impact his world and be used by God. But the fact is, he wasn’t ready to rule over his brothers or anyone else right then. He needed to go through some character-shaping times. And indeed, he did just that, spending thirteen years facing setbacks, challenges, and even prison. So remember that the vision God gives you is not something that will happen immediately. God continues to shape us and prepare us for the special work He wants to accomplish in His time.

My vision or God's?

We have been working toward an understanding of what a vision is and how that is developed in us for leadership. A God given vision is one that addresses this needs of those around us and attempts to meet those needs in a biblical method. We can define a vision as "a clear mental image of a preferable future imparted by God to His chosen servants. It is based on the belief that it not only could be done but should be done."
The development of a vision can be compared to the process of giving birth: conception, gestation, labor and the birth event when the vision takes on a unique and independent form. We looked at the life of Nehemiah together.

Here is a chart to help us understand the differences between a God-given vision and a man-made one:

Man-made Vision	God-given Vision
You create it based on your gifts and skills.	You receive it as a revelation from God.
Its fulfillment rests on staying ahead of others.	Its fulfillment rests on the person's obedience.
Other similar groups or people are seen as competitors.	Other similar groups or people are seen as complimentary.
Its goal is to build your organization and create personal benefits.	Its goal is to serve people, advance God's kingdom, and honor God.
Stress may emerge inwardly and outwardly.	It is accompanied by inward peace and outward opposition.
It may be dropped for something better.	It is compelling and captivating until fulfilled.

The vision is incredibly important because it identifies the task that God wants us to work toward as leaders. Its development is really parallel to our personal development as leaders - He makes us into the people He wants us to be through the process of enabling us to carry out the vision He has given us. This is a beautiful and wonderful truth. (The ppt presentation is here.)

Our next step is working toward creating our own personal vision statement... but more about that in my next post.