It’s mid-January. Are you still on track with your New Year’s Resolution? Did you even make one this year?
Why do we persist with well-intended self-improvements that seem to fall by the wayside once the confetti has been swept away and the party hats retired? Perhaps the reason behind the failure is the inability to link these individual goals with a true sense of purpose. Dr. Groppel, creator of the Corporate Athlete program, describes resolutions as being a well-intended action plan without any real connection to addressing the underlying causes of behavior. Without the “why,” behavioral change is unsustainable. He is among the growing number of life and wellness coaches who favor a personal mission statement over simplistic resolutions. It’s common for businesses to have a mission statement, a definition of their goals and values clearly identified and stated. Company mission statements form the framework within which a business operates and governs their collective purpose. Individuals, however, do not commonly think to adopt a mission statement on a personal level. Although the concept is not new, it has not caught on in the same way that the ‘New Year’s Resolution’ has.
In his book, The 7 Habits of Highly Successful People, author Stephen Covey popularized the concept of a personal mission statement. Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind is all about “defining the personal, moral, and ethical guidelines within which you can most happily express and fulfill yourself.” Your personal mission statement becomes your plan for success.
Although studies of health coaching have had mixed results, it can improve goal attainment and aid in positive behavioral change. Coaches agree that it is important to identify the underlying values that may motivate change, rather than focusing on a single behavior. To get started on your own personal mission statement, ask yourself the following questions used by the Corporate Athlete program:
- How do you want to be remembered?
- How do you want people to describe you?
- Who do you want to be?
- Who or what matters most to you?
- What are your deepest values?
- How would you define success in your life?
- What makes your life really worth living?
Instead of listing specific behavioral changes – “lose weight,” “exercise more,” “eat healthier” – try crafting a statement that addresses why these things are important to you. This becomes a set of guiding principles that cover how you want to live your life, and becomes a lens through which you can make decisions that support your mission statement. An example of this might be, “I want to be a role model for my children, an extraordinary parent who has the energy, health, and stamina to support them in their dreams.” Exercising and eating healthier may be the action plan, and weight loss a desired side effect of that action, but the mission statement addresses the “why.”
Forcing yourself to focus on your values, basic beliefs, and intrinsic motivations is hard work. It is a much more introspective process than picking a New Year’s Resolution. However, the reward for putting forth the effort is worth the time invested. Mission accomplished? No, but creating a personal mission statement is a start.
The New York Times journalist Tara Parker-Pope explores the next steps in a series of articles that will appear in her “Well” blog, the first of which was published on January 5, 2015.