Somehow, I wandered out of bed and into my shower this morning with nary a thought in my head; but once I got to the shampoo, the synapses started firing, and questions came to mind: What is my life really about? What am I working for? What’s the end game? (I know what you’re thinking, and I agree: shampoo is really amazing!).
When I was in high school, I was part of the Air Force Officers Training Corps (ROTC). Part of that training required memorization of the organization’s “core values.” Thinking back on that, I started to wonder what my core values really were—what my own mission statement was. With a furrowed brow—and lathered soap on my scalp—I started to formulate my personal credo, and I came up with this:
To help others reach their greatest potential, through the use of empathy,
collaboration, shared experiences, and mentorship.
I know, I know. This probably sounds like something you could find on the inside of a fortune cookie. Be that as it may, I can tell you with absolute confidence that I walked out of my shower this morning cleaner AND more focused about the year ahead of me. Some folks may have already reached this point in their lives, and some may still be trying to figure things out for themselves. For me personally, I’ve had fleeting notions of what motivates me to do the things I do each day, but never articulated them out loud for people to hear or read.
I’m no fortune-cookie-fortune writer, but I do hope that each of you pinpoint those “certain somethings” that drive you or bring you joy, and formulate those things into your own personal charter to help you align things for yourselves. If you need a little nudge, maybe all you need is a nice shower.
What might your personal life “mission statement” look like? Care to share?
Photo Credit: Shampoo by eelke dekker on Flickr