Hey there Team—Happy New Year!

Originally my plan was to take this week off, but I just couldn’t stay away from you all. I’m excited because over the next several weeks we’re going to talk about one of my favorite self-actualization tools: the personal mission statement. But, before diving into Mission Statement Month here at Confessions, I want to touch on something I was thinking about after writing last week’s post on willpower.

I got to thinking that, while I feel like I have a lot of willpower, maybe you’re someone who feels like you don’t have a lot of willpower. But, maybe you’re someone who is much better than I am at caring for others, or dressing fashionably, or cooking for people without wanting to cry. Or maybe you’re someone who thinks you don’t have a lot of willpower, but you show up day in and day out to a job you don’t love so you can provide for the people you love. My point is that we all have something we thrive at whether we acknowledge it or not, or whether we can see it or not.

As we approach this personal mission statement project, the first step is to focus on what we’re already good at in life. If you’re not completely clear on what your strengths are, don’t worry, I have some tricks to figure that out. But by taking time to seek out both hidden and apparent attributes, we can capitalize on those strengths moving forward. This month isn’t meant to make anyone feel overwhelmed or like you have to change who you are. Whether you only have time to think about it, or you’re committed to putting pen to paper—creating a personal mission statement will help you become super clear on who you are and what you stand for. It will also help to make decisions in line with that person more and more. 

Creating a mission statement has had such a meaningful impact on my recovery. And by “recovery,” I mean the act of reclaiming the person I was before control, perfectionism, and martyrdom caused me to lose my way. Next week we’ll kick off our Mission Statement Month with what a personal mission statement is and why I’m suggesting you consider writing one in 2024.

Before I leave you, I’m going to share that trick I mentioned for finding the good in yourself. I’m sure many of us have heard the phrase, “If you spot it, you’ve got it.” Meaning, that we’re able to quickly spot distasteful behaviors in others because those same behaviors are the ones we dislike in ourselves. Well, this week, we’re going to focus on the opposite of that tendency. As in, we may spot positive behaviors in others because they’re things we do ourselves. Over the next week please start to think about the favorable things you notice in the people in your life. This can be people you either know or don’t know, but looking to others really helps get things flowing. And next week, we’ll talk about how we can use this information to help us begin to create our personal mission statement.

As always, thanks so much for taking the time to listen. And don’t forget to invite friends to join us. If anyone has mentioned to you in the last couple of weeks that they’re looking for a little self discovery without a big commitment, please forward this post to them and encourage them to subscribe. You’ll hear from me again next week. Bye for now, Team!