Now that you have taken the first step towards preparing your Personal Mission Statement (PMS), the second step in planning your PMS is to look ahead, to your future. The first step asked you to consider those in your life whom you admire; those whose lives, abilities, ideals or passions resonated strongly with you. Your list might include descriptive qualities about these people like: compassionate, fearless, creative, forgiving, industrious, etc. Whatever your list contains realize this: it is a window into your soul. These are qualities or values that ‘ping’ you. These characteristics have captured your attention because they are important to you. These things are pointing you in the direction of your life’s purpose and mission. They are guiding you to your potential, to your passions.

Now for the second step in preparing your PMS ~ shift your focus to your distant future, and consider this: How do you want to be remembered? If you were to peek into your 90th birthday party celebration, who would be in that room with you celebrating your life? What kinds of things would these people say about how you lived? About what you mean to them? About what you taught them? What will the outstanding features of your years contain? In other words, what will your legacy be? You will no doubt hold many roles in 90 years of living. So whether you plan to leave a legacy or not, know this: you will leave a legacy, and you get to choose what it will become.

Please think about your legacy, because you are writing it everyday.
Gary Vaynerchuk

Once again, you will need to have pen and paper handy as you spend some time in the days ahead pondering these things for yourself. Remember the purpose of a PMS is to help you think deeply about your life, so that you may clarify and identify those things you value, what kind of person you want to become, and how you desire to accomplish these things. 

Additionally, when you make the effort to write these items down on paper, you are strongly imprinting and impressing your values, goals and aspirations upon your mind. In essence, you are making a ‘hard copy’
document which may be revisited time and again so your mission is always at the forefront of your vision.

There is much for you to think and write about in this coming week. I trust you will enjoy this process as you write down your days…because your life is your very own Work of Art.  And you are the only one who is uniquely qualified to make it a Master Piece!