A few years ago, I went through a time when I was really into books about personal growth. My life was really in flux during that period; I find that during times of pain and upheaval, in those transitional times I have also experienced a lot of forward movement in my life, and growth too. At the time I was reading those books, I was transforming and needed to go deeper in many areas of my life, to find a deeper sense of meaning and truth. The same old stuff wasn’t working so I was ready to embrace new ways of thinking.
Some books talked about asking yourself the question: “What is my contribution to the world?” This means developing your personal vision to be an agent for growth and change. What do you want to accomplish in your life in the bigger picture? How would you like your gifts to impact the world, and what is your legacy?
Crafting Your Personal Mission Statement: Purpose and Vision
I thought about this for a long while. I even recorded it in a journal I have been keeping on and off for a few years. I came up with what I called my “personal mission statement.” In the winter of 2006 I wrote it:
“To inform, entertain, uplift and inspire through the full use of my creative gifts and artistic abilities.”
This personal mission statement really encapsulates my purpose in life, the reason I am here and why I feel I was given my Divine creative gifts in the first place: to positively impact others. You’ll sometimes hear people talk about the concept of finding “purpose and vision” and often the definition of the terms vary and overlap. For me, my purpose is to use my creative gifts for the highest good. I expand on my purpose to create a vision of what’s possible if I use my gifts effectively: I contribute to the world by educating, uplifting, inspiring change and transforming others through the use of my art and creativity.
It sounds lofty, but when you recognize yourself to be a Divine entity, you’ll see how we are all interconnected, and how our actions and work truly matter in the world.
Finding Your Life’s Work
I come from a rather small family and as the youngest or “baby” of the family, growing up I didn’t always give a lot of thought to my contribution to the world. I didn’t think much of my place in the world from a larger perspective. I didn’t think I could make an impact. It was all about me. I also had such low self esteem that I never imagined having an impact on the greater good. I was rather immature and didn’t want to assume that kind of responsibility for my actions! As Marianne Williamson would say, my “playing small does not serve the world.”
As I’ve grown older and developed as an artist and creative person, I think more and more about how my work impacts humanity, animals, and the environment. How can I give back? How can I make the world a better place through the use of my talents, my gifts?
I’ve broadened the scope of that personal mission statement, which involved using my creative gifts for the highest good, to include the concept of my “life’s work.” All my life, I wanted to become an actor and achieve professional success in that field. So years ago, I would have automatically said my life’s work would be performing and theatre. Definitely, through the careful choice of roles that illuminate something about the human condition, it is possible to have an impact on the world through the art of acting. However, in the world of professional acting or “show business” it’s often more about making money than it is about artistry.
Acting is in my heart and soul and I love it, but I believe writing is my true calling. It is writing that has helped me grow leaps and bounds as a human being while also helping me heal from past traumas. It is by writing that I feel I can really make a contribution to the world. Through the craft of writing, I can raise awareness about issues I am passionate about, like ovarian cancer and animal welfare. As I continue to share my experiences through personal essay and memoir writing, it is my hope that readers will find something universal in my story that they can connect with, that will hopefully allow them to make discoveries about their own life and experiences.
As I consider my life’s work, I plan to bring my two loves together (acting and writing) by creating my own material to perform that reflects my purpose and vision: my published memoir “Soul Tripper” is definitely a reflection of my life’s work.
Soul Tripper Exercise:
Schedule some personal time for reflection and contemplation. When you are alone and relaxed, perhaps after some quiet time or meditation, consider crafting a personal mission statement, then take out a journal and write whatever comes to mind. Do not over think this process; allow your subconscious impulses to emerge.
Consider this mission statement a guideline, not an absolute. As you transform during your soul tripping journey, this mission statement may grow and evolve with you also. As your mission statement lingers in the back of your mind, wait for subtle (or more conscious) feelings of rightness. If something feels a little “off” then go back and refine your mission statement.
Questions to ask yourself: Why am I here? What do I want for other people, living things, the planet? How can I best make a positive impact? What will be my contribution to the world? What will I leave behind through my work? What is my legacy? Am I truly living “on purpose” or just marking time through this life? If you are patient with yourself, and allow your truest purest impulses to surface, a life direction will emerge in time.
Then enlarge that personal mission statement into your true calling, or life’s work. As an example, my personal mission statement can be paraphrased as: “The full use of my creative gifts for the highest good.” I realized my true calling is my writing; my life’s work is affecting others positively and changing the world for the better through the written word.
Once you have determined your unique place in the world through creating your personal mission statement and identifying your calling, you may experience a greater feeling of peace, a deeper sense of things feeling “right” and a profound sense of wholeness. Start to center your life on these choices, your purpose, vision and life’s work. Then your actions will come from your deepest values, and what you say and do will be aligned with who you really are and how you truly feel.
And that, my friends, is AUTHENTICITY.
Namaste,
Allison
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