SENSE OF PURPOSE

© 2016 FranklinCovey Co.

Published by Mango Media Inc.

Cover Design: Roberto Nunez

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be

reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any
means without prior written permission.

A Sense of Purpose - Stephen R. Covey

ISBN: 978-1-63353-336-3
 HOW TO USE THIS BOOK

*As you read this book you will encounter this icon:
This icon is a reminder to open the notes feature in your
eReader or a notebook in order to complete the tasks within
the book.
 CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION
In our lives, if we have not made clear what is most important to us, the thing that is
most urgent at any given moment will dictate priority. We may never get around to
doing what we think might be most important. If we are to direct our lives toward
our true priorities, we need to clarify what is most important. A simple yet powerful
way to do this is to write a Personal Mission Statement. A mission statement is a
clear, simple statement of what is really important in our lives. It states what matters
most to us.

The purpose of this book is to help you create your Personal Mission Statement. As
you discover your mission, you will find that your mission statement will give your
life greater purpose and direction. It will empower you to lead your life instead of
spending your life reacting. As you work through this book, you will be challenged
with images, questions, and self-reflection. When you have completed this book, you
will have written a working draft of your Personal Mission Statement using the
following process:

Discover your best self—who you want to be and what you want to do.
Uncover your values.
Organize your thoughts.
Write a draft of your Personal Mission Statement.
Review and evaluate your draft.
Commit to living your Personal Mission Statement.

Read and work through this book as you see fit. There is no single way to complete
it. You may choose to read it all at once or spend several days and weeks reading,
reflecting, and writing your thoughts. The only recommendation is to find a quiet
place where you can think without interruption. Enjoy your adventure!
Life is short. So...
Live
Love

Learn
Leave a Legacy
What makes life worth living? What’s missing?
How do I know? How do I show? Love.
Where are the answers? What do I need to learn? Unlearn?
How will I be remembered? What do I dream of? What is my fire?
To Live. To Love. To Learn. To leave a Legacy.
Life is short ...
 So?

We all have some vision of ourselves and our future. We all feel a desire to
leave a legacy. More than any other factor, vision affects the choices we make and
the way we spend our time.

One of the most powerful processes found to cultivate the passion of vision is
creating and integrating an empowering Personal Mission Statement.

If you’ve never attempted to write a Personal Mission Statement—or even if

you have, but you’d like a different perspective—this ebook will inspire you to
discover your Personal Mission Statement and develop a passion for living it.

Follow this ebook’s simple process:

Define what you want to be.

Determine what you want to do.

Answer who has been a role model for you.

Imagine your ideal self.

Describe yourself at your best.

Determine your values.

Organize your thoughts.

Write your Personal Mission Statement.

Review and evaluate your mission statement.

Commit to living your Personal Mission Statement.

As you follow these steps, you will develop a passion for your vision and
Personal Mission Statement. You will find that your life has gained greater purpose
and direction.
CHAPTER 2

VISION
 Our visions begin
with our desires.

— Audre Lorde

We all have some vision of ourselves and our future, and that vision creates
consequences. More than any other factor, vision affects the choices we make and
the way we spend our time.

When we talk about the “passion of vision,” we’re talking about a deep,
sustained energy that comes from our deepest self. It deals with an aeon concept of
time, from the Greek aion, meaning “an age or a lifetime.” It taps into the deep core
of who we are and what we are about. It’s fueled by the realization of the unique
contribution we have the capacity to make—the legacy we can leave. It clarifies
purpose, gives direction, and empowers us to perform beyond our resources.

We call it “passion” because this vision can become a motivating force so

powerful it, in effect, becomes the DNA of our lives. It’s so ingrained and integrated
into every aspect of our being that it becomes the compelling impetus behind every
decision we make. It’s the fire within, the deep-burning “yes” that empowers us to
say “no”—peacefully and confidently—to the less important things in our lives.

This passion can empower us to virtually transcend fear, doubt,

discouragement, and many other things that keep us from accomplishment and
contribution.

Envision your life first,

then make it real.
— Rachel Snyder
 Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always
ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one
elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans:
that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too.
All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have
occurred. A whole stream of events issue from the decision, raising in one’s favor
all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which
no man could have dreamt would have come his way.
I have learned a deep respect for one of Goethe’s couplets:
Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it.
Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.

– W.H. Murray, mountaineer and writer

CHAPTER 3

BE
 Nothing can bring
you peace but yourself.
Nothing can bring you
peace but the triumph
of principles.

— Ralph Waldo Emerson

Define what you want to be

To define what you want to be, you need to define your character strengths and
personal qualities. By focusing on what you want to be in these terms, you’ll have
something worthy of your effort.
Examples of Character and Quality
The following are examples of character and quality traits. These will help
you get started in defining what you want to be. Notice that each one is written as
though it has already happened. That’s important. It helps you focus on making the
statement true in every way.

I am honest—measured by what I do, not just what I say.

I have integrity—the value I place on myself.

I work hard. Appreciation comes from what is earned.

Awaken your sense, your

intuition, your desires.
Awaken the parts of yourself
that have been sleeping.
Life is a dream, and to live it,
you must be awake.
 — Rachel Snyder

Reflect on the following:

What are my character strengths?

What do I want these strengths to be?

What are my best qualities?

What do I want my best qualities to be?

To live is so startling it leaves

little time for anything else.

— Emily Dickinson
Determine what you want to do
What do you want to accomplish or achieve? What contributions do you want
to make?

Determining those accomplishments and contributions will focus your efforts in

the direction you want to go. By combining your effort with what you want to be, you
will have something that’s worthy of your effort. One afternoon, 15-year-old John
Goddard sat down at his kitchen table and wrote three words on the top of a piece of
paper: “My Life List.” Then he listed 127 things he wanted to accomplish or
contribute during his life. These were not simple or easy goals. They included
climbing the major mountains of the world, exploring the world’s rivers, and reading
the complete works of Aristotle.

Examples

• Explore these rivers: Nile, Amazon, Congo, Colorado, Yangtze, Niger,

Orinoco, and Coco.

• Carry out a career in medicine. Treat illness among primitive tribes in

countries visited.

At last count, John Goddard had checked 108 items off his list.

You don’t need to be a John Goddard, but what do you want to do?
 Everybody wants to do
something to help, but
nobody wants to do it first.

— Pearl Bailey

Reflect on the following:

If my resources were such that I did not have to work for a living or I could do
anything I wanted, I would:
The reason I would do this is:

When I daydream, I sometimes see myself doing something great like:

People who know me well think I’m very good at:

CHAPTER 4

DO
 Until I die, I’m going to keep
doing. My people need me.
They need somebody that’s
not taking from them and is
giving them something.

— Clara McBride Hale

Make a list of things you want to do.

Examples:

• Inspire others through music.

• Raise a wonderful and close contributing family.

• Love my work and help others through my work.

CHAPTER 5

MODEL
 My mother was the one who
made me work, made me
believe that one day it would
be possible for me to walk
without braces.

— Wilma Rudolph

Model your most influential person

Noted for her novels of life in China, Pearl S. Buck was the recipient of the
1938 Nobel Prize in Literature. As a young girl, she lived in China where her
parents were Presbyterian missionaries.

Buck received her early education in Shanghai and returned to teach at a

Chinese university after graduating from a Virginia women’s college in 1914. Her
articles and stories about Chinese life first appeared in U.S. magazines in 1923, but it
was not until 1931 that she reached a wide audience with The Good Earth. The
unique story described the struggle of a Chinese peasant and his slave-wife to gain
land and position.

After World War II, in a move to aid illegitimate children of U.S. servicemen
in Asian countries, she instituted the Pearl S. Buck Foundation. She donated more
than $7 million of her personal earnings to this organization.

Living to write, and having a life worth writing about, Pearl S. Buck changed
the way people viewed the world.

You can’t give people pride,

but you can provide the kind
of understanding that makes
people look to their inner
 strengths and find their
own sense of pride.

— Charleszetta Waddles

Reflect on the following:

The five most influential people in my life are:

From the above list, circle the name of the one person who has made the strongest
positive impact on your life.

What qualities do you admire most in that person?

Some of the things he or she accomplished are:

What would you like to incorporate?

 CHAPTER 6

IDEAL DAY
 We must wait until the
evening to see how splendid
the day has been.

— Sophocles

Imagine your ideal day

Think about the future. Create in your mind an ideal day for yourself. When
will it happen? What will take place? Who will be there? What will make that day
so special?

Describe as much as you can about your ideal future day—the place, time, and
things you’ll be doing.
 CHAPTER 7

MY BEST
 He is in possession of his
life who is in possession
of his story.

— Carl Jung

Describe yourself at best

You are one of a kind! Of the billions of people in the world, there’s only one
you.

Some years ago, I met Tom at a seminar for university students. When I
asked him to introduce himself and tell a little about his goals, he indicated that
he was majoring in civil engineering. Later during the seminar, I asked him to
share with others what he would do if he had a month with no demands on his time
and unlimited funds.

His face lit up like a Christmas tree. “That’s easy!” he replied

enthusiastically. “I’d buy a table saw, a planer, and…oh, lots of other tools. I’d
set them up in my garage, get all the kids in the neighborhood together, and we’d
build things—tables, playhouses, furniture. It would be great!”

As I noticed his shining eyes, I couldn’t help but remember the apathy with
which he had announced his college major a few moments before.

“You really like to teach, don’t you?” I asked.

“I love it!” he said simply.

“And you enjoy working with tools?”

“Oh, you bet!”

“How are you enjoying your classes in civil engineering?”

“Oh, I don’t know. There’s good money in engineering…”

His voice dropped off.

“Tom,” I said, “did it ever occur to you that they pay people to teach kids
how to build things with tools?”

It was fascinating to watch his face. It was obvious that his decision to major in civil
engineering was not the result of a deep inner connection with his own talents and a
conscience-inspired sense of contribution. But when he touched that connection,
even briefly—when he suddenly saw the possibility of fulfilling his own uniqueness
—he became totally energized.

While Tom might have been an adequate civil engineer, it was easy to see he would
be a phenomenal woodshop instructor, and that his love for woodworking and for
young people would empower him to make a difference.

– Roger Merrill, coauthor of First Things First

Ten adjectives that describe me at my best are:

Imagine you won the lottery three years ago and you are receiving $10 million a year
for the rest of your life. You have already traveled the world, donated millions to
charity, paid off everyone’s debts, and bought new cars, a new home, and all the
electronic toys you could find.

Now what? Money is no object, and you’ve bought and done everything. What
legacy will you leave?
 CHAPTER 8

WHAT IF?
 Strong lives are motivated
by dynamic purposes.

— Kenneth Hildebrand

Create “What ifs”

This is an excellent activity to do either alone or with friends, family, or coworkers.

Reflect on the following “what ifs”:

If I had an extraordinary “stand apart” talent, what would I like it to be?

If I could have one wish, what would it be?

If I could change one problem in the world, what would it be?

If I could help make someone’s life better, whom would I choose?

Create your own “what ifs” and discuss them with your friends, family, or
coworkers.
 CHAPTER 9

MY VALUES
 If a man knows not what
harbor he seeks, any wind
is the right wind.
— Seneca

Reflections of who I am
Review your answers to the questions from the previous pages, then take a few
moments and write down your values.
Following is a list that might help stimulate your thinking:

• Peace of mind
• Security
• Work ethic
• Wealth
• Good health
• Free time
• Close relationships
• Happiness
• Recognition or fame
• Family
• Spiritual fulfillment
• Friendships

Review your list and highlight your five most important values.

I was always looking

 outside myself for strength
and confidence but it
comes from within.
It is there all the time.

— Anna Freud

Take a moment to reflect on all of your answers and write the essence of what you
have thought about—the legacy you want to leave.
 CHAPTER 10

NEXT STEPS
 A journey of a thousand
miles must begin with
a single step.
— Lao Tzu

The mission statements people have found to be most empowering seem to have
several characteristics in common. You may find the following list helpful to you in
writing your own mission statement.

An empowering mission statement:

• Represents the deepest and best within you, and comes out of a solid
connection with your deep inner life;
 • Is the fulfillment of your own unique gifts and the expression of your
unique capacity to contribute;

• Is transcendent, based on principles of contribution and purpose higher

than self;

• Addresses and integrates all four fundamental human needs and

capacities: physical, social/emotional, mental, and spiritual;

• Is based on principles that produce quality-of-life results;

• Deals with all the significant roles in your life representing a lifetime
balance of personal, family, work, community—whatever roles you feel are
yours to fill;

• Is written to inspire you—not to impress anyone else—on the most

essential level;

• Deals with both vision and principle-based values. It’s not enough to have
values without vision. You want to be good, but you want to be good for
something. An empowering mission statement deals with character and
competence; it deals with what you want to be and do in your life.

On the following pages are examples of mission statements you may find
helpful when writing your own. There is no right or wrong way to write a mission
statement. The most important concept to keep in mind is that it must resonate within
you.
 CHAPTER 11

EXAMPLES
 The process of writing
any form of creativity is a
power-intensifying life.

— Rita Mae Brown

Mission statements take many forms. They may take form as poetry, art, or even
music. Most mission statements, however, are simple paragraphs that state the
principles and values by which one chooses to live.

MISSION STATEMENT
I want to use my healing talents to keep hope alive and express my vision
courageously in word and action.
In my family, I want to build health, loving relationships in which we let each
other become our best selves.
At work, I want to establish a fault-free, self-perpetuating, learning environment.
In the world, I want to nurture the development of all life forms, in harmony with
the laws of nature.

RESOLUTION
Let the first act of every morning be
to make the following resolve for the day:
I shall not fear anyone on earth.
I shall fear only God.
I shall not bear ill toward anyone.
I shall not submit to injustice from anyone.
I shall conquer untruth by truth.
And in resisting untruth I shall put up with all suffering.

Mahatma Gandhi

MISSION STATEMENT
For myself, I want to develop self-knowledge, self-love, and self-allowing. I want
to use my healing talents to keep hope alive and express my vision courageously in
word and action.
In my family, I want to build healthy, loving relationships in which we let each
other become our best selves.
At work, I want to establish a fault-free, self-perpetuating, learning environment.
In the world, I want to nurture the development of all life forms in harmony with
the laws of nature.

MISSION STATEMENT
To be humble.
To say thanks to God in some way, every day.
To never react to abuse by passing it on.
To find the self within that does and can look at all sides without loss.
I believe in treating all people with kindness and respect.
I believe by knowing what I value, I truly know what I want.
To be driven by values and beliefs.
I want to experience life’s passions with the newness of a child’s love, the
sweetness and joy of young love, and the respect and reverence of mature love.
Finally, to go through life with a smile on my face and a twinkle in my eye.

MISSION STATEMENT
To act in a manner that brings out the best in me and those important to me—
especially when it might be most justifiable to act otherwise.

DECALOGUE
1. Never put off until tomorrow what you can do today.
2. Never trouble another for what you can do yourself.
3. Never spend your money before you have it.
4. Never buy what you do not want because it is cheap; it will not be dear to you.
5. Pride costs us more than hunger, thirst, and cold.
6. We have never repented of having eaten too little.
7. Forget the mistakes of the past and press on to greater achievement of the
future.
8. Wear a cheerful countenance at all times and give every living creature you
meet a smile.
9. Give so much time to the improvement of yourself that you have no time to
criticize others.
10. Be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear, and too happy
to permit troubles.

Thomas Jefferson

MISSION STATEMENT
To be reflected as authentic while living and remembered after mortality’s end…
I will be a man who…
EXTENDS himself wherever and whenever he can be loving, friendly, helpful,
sensitive, or influential;
JUDGES himself firstly, and towards all others seeks to see what is unique, good,
and worthy of praise;
CHALLENGES himself to constant growing, through structured learning,
creative sharing, teaching, enlightened reading, refinement of intuitive and
psychic gifts, and most importantly—experiential living;
PROTECTS himself from those people and things—both real and imagined—that
could destroy longevity, growth, health, and happiness;
CONDUCTS himself in ways that are honest and authentic with his existence,
beneficial to his loved ones, and respectful of God and Nature;
ENVISIONS himself as dynamic and capable, fair and unwavering, simple and
complex, powerful but meek;
VALUES himself because of the Most Precious Few he can shape, love and
protect,
The Several he can influence and instruct,
The Many he can lighten their load,
and the Countless he can serve by example;
HUMBLES himself by acknowledging the graceful intervention of a Supreme
Being, by listening to his conscience, defining his weaknesses, honing his
shortcomings, and aspiring to be at peace with God and his fellow humans; to be
firm in his beliefs, and aware of true recreation.

MISSION STATEMENT
Ultimately, people are all we have. I lift people through unconditional love.
Whether of God or man, I respect and effectively manage physical creation.
Proper use of things lets me focus on people.
My spirit is eternal. By nurturing body, mind, heart, and soul, I can best nurture
others.
When I’m gone, I hope others say, “He loved me enough that I too could love.”

WORK MISSION STATEMENT

Provide uncompromising, personalized service to internal or external customers.
If I receive a problem from a customer, I own the problem until resolved or
properly communicated to someone who can solve the problem.
I will:
“Escort” customers, not “point,” whether in person or on the phone;
Park so that customers won’t have to walk farther than I do;
Strive to enhance the lives of those around me;
Look for opportunities to make deposits into the Emotional Bank Account of all
associates;
Increase my performance capability through practicing the principles we teach;
Sharpen my saw through professional development;
Manage as I would wish to be managed.

MISSION STATEMENT
My mission is to give, for giving is what I do best and I can learn to do better.
I will seek to learn, for learning is the basis of growth, and growing is the key to
living.
I will seek first to understand, for understanding is the key to finding value, and
value is the basis for respect, decisions, and action. This should be my first act
with my wife, my family, and my business.
I want to help influence the future development of people and organizations. I
want to teach my children and others to love and laugh, to learn and grow beyond
their current bounds.
I will build personal, business, and civic relationships by giving, in frequent little
ways.

Laurie Beth Jones

 CHAPTER 12

GO FOR IT
 We are the painter, the
paint and the painting.

— Noah benShea

BRAINSTORM YOUR PERSONAL MISSION

STATEMENT
Review your thoughts from previous pages. Then, take a
few moments and quickly brainstorm what you want your
mission statement to say.
 Making Brainstorming Work
Think of this as a kind of computer download. It’s
putting down on paper the contents of the best “computer”
in the world: your mind.

Free-Write
List everything that comes to mind as fast as you can—
key words, not sentences. Don’t edit what you write.
Anything goes.
Work continually for about five minutes or until you run
out of steam.

Creation is a better means

 of self-expression than
possession; it is through
creating, not possessing,
that life is revealed.

— Vida Scudder
 CHAPTER 13

ORGANIZE
 Every man has only enough
strength to complete those
assignments that he is fully
convinced are important.
— Goethe

Organize your Personal Mission Statement

Most likely the information in your brainstorming list and free-write activities are
pretty scattered. Organize your thoughts, use whatever methods are most helpful to
you—a mind map, an outline, pictures, etc.
 CHAPTER 14

MY MISSION
 A “no” uttered from the
deepest conviction is
better than a “yes” merely
uttered to please, or what is
worse, to avoid trouble.

— Mahatma Gandhi

Discover your Personal Mission Statement

Next write your Personal Mission Statement. Commit yourself to making your
mission statement a part of your life. Enjoy yourself—you’re creating your future.
Nothing contributes so much
to tranquilizing the mind as
a steady purpose—a point
on which the soul may fix
its intellectual eye.

— Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley

 CHAPTER 15

REVIEW AND EVALUATE

 Character cannot be
developed in ease and quiet.
Only through experience of
trial and suffering can the
soul be strengthened, vision
cleared, ambition inspired,
and success achieved.
— Helen Keller

Review and Evaluate

Keep your Personal Mission Statement up to date. Review and evaluate it regularly.
Keep your mission statement in a place you access frequently. If you carry a planner,
this is an ideal place.

At the beginning of each week, review your mission statement. Plan

specific activities that will bring you closer to your purpose. Evaluate those
activities that are in harmony with your inner values and principles.
As changes and opportunities arise in your life, take time to compare each
one with your mission statement.
Your mission statement is not static, and you may want to take time to
refine and polish it.

As you review your Personal Mission Statement, keep the following questions in
mind:

Does my mission statement reflect the best possible “me”? If not, I’ll make
these changes.

Am I challenged and motivated when I read my mission statement? If not,

I’ll make these changes.
 Here is a test to find whether
your mission on earth is
finished: If you’re alive, it isn’t.

— Richard Bach
Life is short ... So?
 CHAPTER 16

RECOMMENDED READINGS
If you enjoyed this booklet, you may also enjoy the
following selections:
Alborn, Mitch. Tuesdays with Morrie: An Old Man,
a Young Man, and the Last Great Lesson. New York:
Doubleday, 1997
benShea, Noah. Jacob the Baker: Gentle Wisdom
for a Complicated World. New York: Ballantine Books,
1990.
Covey, Stephen R. Living the 7 Habits. New York:
Simon & Schuster, 1999.
Covey, Stephen R. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective
People. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1989.
Covey, Stephen R. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective
Families. New York: Golden Books, 1997.
Covey Stephen R., A. Roger Merrill and Rebecca R.
Merrill. First Things First. New York: Simon &
Schuster, 1994.
Easwaran, Eknath, trans. The Bhagavad Gita.
Tomales, Calif: Nilgiri Press, 1985.
Edelman, Marian Wright. The Measure of Our
Success: A Letter to My Children and Yours. New
York: Harper Collins, 1992
Frankl, Viktor E. Man’s Search for Meaning. New
York: Pocket Books, 1959.
Franklin, Benjamin. The Art of Virtue. Waverly,
New York: Acorn, 1986.
Gardner, Howard E. Creating Minds. New York:
Basic Books, 1993.
Jones, Laurie Beth. The Path: Creating Your
Mission Statement for Work and for Life. New York:
Hyperion, 1996.
Lao-tzu. Tao Te Ching. London: Penguin, 1963.
Thakar, Vimala. The Eloquence of Living. San
Rafael, Calif.: New World Library, 1989.
Thoreau, Henry David. Walden. Boston:
Shambhala, 1992.
Walker, Alice. Anything We Love Can Be Saved.
New York: Random House, 1997.
Wheatley, Margaret J. and Myron Kellner-Rogers.
A Simpler Way. San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler, 1996.
 ALSO BY STEPHEN R. COVEY
& MANGO MEDIA

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