Fulfillment, Life Purpose, and Mission Statement

Part of what I do in my coaching sessions is to help people uncover their passions and start making movement towards fulfilling that passion. 

A life purpose statement is another way of capturing the essence of what it means to be fully alive ~living life intentionally, making choices that increase the value of life to oneself and to others. Creating a life purpose statement is like standing on the top of a tall hill asking yourself “What is my unique contribution to my family, my work, my community?” “What difference do I make with my life? Living a life that includes following a purpose directed path is deeply fulfilling. In this way, fulfillment reaches out beyond the one, and yet loops back to enrich that one life.

There are many ways to elicit life's purpose and there is more than one way to describe this definition of what our lives are about Some of us call it a mission statement or vision statement. It gets to the heart of what a person's true life legacy will be ~ the difference this life will make for the planet.

The life purpose is a path not a destination. And along the way you will encounter plenty of voices, internal and external telling you to go in other directions. Sometimes you will listen, especially when you are unsure of your purpose. Finding and claiming a life purpose gives you a powerful sense of direction for your life. The truth you find in the life purpose statement can make you virtually unstoppable.

Defining one's life purpose is a process that usually takes time. It can involve personal reflection, reading, keeping a journal, or interviewing others. Finding the one statement that rings true requires peeling back the layers until you reach the statement that addresses the central questions of your life. What is the hunger I'm here to feed? Where is the pain I can ease? What is the teaching I'm called to do? Where is the building I have the tools to accomplish?

Creating your life purpose statement is rich with self-discovery, values clarify, clarification, and vision. You are challenged to use all the talents that you've been given. Is also a fruitful place for acknowledgement when you make the sometimes difficult decision to follow your purpose instead of taking the easier way. Living a life of meaning and purpose is a rare accomplishment indeed and in one sense it is the very definition of fulfillment.