I am a great one for saying, “Some day when I have (fill in the blank) I will… Rarely have I not put some-thing that is important to me off. But I started my private practice, I played with dolphins, I climbed Pikes Peak; all of which were and still are important to me. I didn’t say some day I will: when I have enough money, when Malaika is in college, when I retire, I just did it. I didn’t wait for tomorrow, because all we have is today. And when I am with a client, when I played with dolphins, when I climbed Pikes Peak, I was at my very best. So how could you and I be at our best everyday?

The first step is to identify what you love, what gives you joy, what is truly important to you and let that guide your daily life. It’s discovering your mission. Your mission could be your life calling, it could be reaching a specific goal or being connected to your family or co-workers. There is no right way to define mission and it’s not carved it stone. Your mission grows as you grow.

Ask yourself what you would love to do most. My answers were live on the ocean, study whales and dolphins (a dream since childhood), make a difference in the lives of others, have an impact, look forward to each day and support my family. Very diverse answers to a seemingly simple question. But as I looked at all of these answers a statement did come to me: my mission in life is to be the best “me” I can be. Because, if I’m the best “me” I can be, I will be the best for everybody and everything else. Is that me now? Unfortunately, the answer is a big fat NO! I have a long way to go, but thinking about my mission statement everyday makes an impact on my life. It helps guide my choices and decisions. I don’t want to achieve being the best me I can be, I want to LIVE being the best me I can be.

Just identifying your mission can have amazing results. After you have taken the time to write your mission statement, you may want to make changes, maybe some big changes. This requires courage. You can do it! Take some time to write your mission statement and see what happens.