We must not, in trying to think about how we can make a big difference, ignore the small daily differences we can make which, over time, add up to big differences that we often cannot foresee.” — Marian Wright Edelman
I know that we all go through
I want to talk about our purpose and what it means to live with passion, values, and joy in our lives every day. That way you can live your life to the fullest.
Finding Our Purpose By Defining Our Values
The highest courage is to dare to be yourself in the face of adversity. Choosing right over wrong, ethics over convenience, and truth over popularity…these are the choices that measure your life. Travel the path of integrity without looking back, for there is never a wrong time to do the right thing.” — Unknown
Values are our guiding light. They are what help us through times of tough decision making and how we judge what we feel is right or wrong.
I adopted my three core values while I was serving in the USAF (United States Air Force). Well, I say adopted but what I actually did was just take the Air Force core values as my own.
The three core values that the Air Force and I (along with many people who are active duty and
- Integrity
- Service before self
- Excellence in all you do
These values really resonated with me, not only because I took an oath to live by them while I was serving, but because I found a deeper meaning in them besides my duty to my country. For instance, service before self is great when you are putting your life on the line serving your country. As a Christian, I can also put my service to God before myself.
I also feel called by God and His Word to live with integrity and excellence in all that I do. These values are important to me and help guide me through life’s ups and downs. They help me see that my purpose is not something selfish, but something outside of myself. My purpose is serving God by serving others and doing it with excellence.
It is your turn to figure out your core values if you don’t already have some. You can use mine, or you can figure out what has meaning to you. What words come to mind that will help you discover or define your purpose?
Living Our Purpose With A Vision Statement
I am about 95% sure that you have heard of a mission statement before. They are a big thing in the corporate world. At least they were about a decade ago. Every company has to have a mission clearly defined to guide their employees on the path to what every their end goal is.
Well, a vision statement is basically the same as a mission statement. In fact, I can not give you any concrete differences between the two other than my own opinions on the matter.
A mission statement tells the world what your mission (purpose) in life really is. A vision statement gives more of a vision of where you want to go. Your purpose as a journey, so to speak.
Either way, you say it, or whether you create a mission statement or vision statement, it is important to nail down a couple of sentences that show you which paths to take and what decisions to make. You can think of it as your road map through
Spend some time working on your own personal vision statement. You can use the core values that you have already picked for yourself. In fact, they can even be a part of your vision statement. The important thing is to have something in writing that you can look at to remind you of your mission/vision for your life. This will also really help you find your purpose or to live according to with purpose once you have it nailed down.
