Something I’ve been reflecting on quite a bit recently (yes, also in light of reading Designing Your Life), is my life’s “mission.” The thing that drives the choices I make in everything from my career to my free time, and I have to say, it never fails to be incredibly motivating every time I return to it.
Making a Mission Statement
In my Intentional Careering course, I have our exercises culminate into a final “career” mission statement, which serves as a guide to provide direction and inspiration, but is also flexible enough to apply to many potential roles (including the one you might currently be stuck in). I generally propose coming to one by putting together your personal strengths and unique gifts with a greater aim or goal.
For example, you can structure something like…
“to use my unique gifts: _____________, in order to: ___________________.”
But I’ve recently been taking it one level higher and more largely framing the mission of my life - a statement of intent that reflects my fundamental beliefs about the world, a framework under which my work and the rest of my life falls, and an idea that captures how I personally view the meaning of my life (for now, anyhow).
Are you ready for the twist? I’ve recently decided to have two. That’s right, T-W-O.
But your mission statement should be ultimate and all-encompassing! you protest! But there is only one meaning of life! you refute!
Yes…and.
Here’s the thing: in life, multiple conflicting things can often be true at the same time. We may have grown up in a linear, black-and-white, either/or kind of world, but have you ever had the experience of wanting two different things at the same time? Or had different parts of you feel entirely different ways about the same thing? What if we accepted that these things can, in fact, sometimes coexist?
When we think of the meaning or purpose of our lives, we often split into feeling like we either need to be martyrs and live a life of sacrifice to change the world, or nihilists, and maximize the value we personally get in the little time we have. If we make our mission statement around one, we feel like hypocrites when our actions don’t fall completely in-line. But why does the meaning of our lives have to be one or the other? Why can’t we decide to make it a little bit about both?
Giving and Receiving
To integrate these two poles, I’ve actually been thinking a lot about the idea of exchange. If you zoom out far enough, life is just a pretty big exchange we partake in - the same way our ancestors would craft clothes in exchange for food, and others would hunt in exchange for shelter (ok, not a history major but you get the point). Now, some of us live from the mindset that an ideal life would be all play, work is a total drag, and we don’t think about how we can actively contribute given all the privileges we’ve happened to already be afforded in life. Others of us take the mindset that we need to always be working in order to deserve anything at all. Life is hard, and it’s difficult to to take a break, enjoy the little things, or allow ourselves to receive.
But life is about both - and I’d argue to equal degrees. Think about it: one day you are totally non-conscious stardust and then someone comes along and says, “Hey, I’m going to give you 100 years to experience this thing called life on this little planet called Earth.” It’s a gift, but it’s also a responsibility.
So my own latest mission is as follows:
To create a happier, more conscious, and more loving world
and…
To wholeheartedly and unapologetically enjoy my own life
One part give, one part receive. And the best part - they don’t have to be mutually exclusive. If we find the right thing, our work actually gives us a significant amount of enjoyment and fulfillment in our lives. It can allow us to put a piece of our soul into something in a way that brings us joy. And how we choose to live the other 66% of our lives can also contribute to something greater than us. In every relationship, hobby, conversation with a stranger…At the end of the day, it’s just about balancing the two.
What’s Yours?
So, that’s mine. Yours might look very similar, or it might look very different. The point is to create something that inspires you, that resonates deep down in the belly of your soul every time you see it, and that helps to guide and direct the way you choose to live each and every day.
What’s your life’s mission statement? What does it look like to give, and what does it look like to receive, to you?
Disclaimer: While occasionally I include research and insights from my graduate classes in clinical psychology on my blog, I am not at this time a licensed therapist or mental health provider and therefore no content on this blog or website should not be considered or serve as replacement for therapeutic advice.
