“Perhaps the most important vision of all is to develop a sense of self, a sense of your own destiny, a sense of your unique mission and role in life, a sense of purpose and meaning.” - Stephen Covey, The 8th Habit.

Some of the greatest names in history have actually had some very simple and straightforward personal mission statements.

Sometimes, simpler is better. Successful people all have one thing in common; they all have a clearly defined life's purpose.

This purpose drives their daily actions, helping them create great successes that positively impact the world.

Thomas Edison's Life Purpose...

To create inventions that people need, that people would pay for and that would be profitable.

This kind of simple mission statement acts as a road map helping guide your daily actions!

If something were getting you off track in life, you'd be able to recognize its shortfalls before heading too far down the path. This is the beauty of creating a clearly defined life's purpose.

John F. Kennedy's Life Purpose:

"To put a man on the moon in this decade."

Andrew Carnegie's Life Purpose:

American steel industrialist, founder of the public library system, and at one time the richest man in the world: "To spend the first half of my life making as much money as I can — and the second half giving it away."

Jack Canfield's Life Purpose:

"To inspire and empower people to live their highest vision in a context of love and joy."

You can clearly see how simple these statements are. This doesn't have to be a complicated process. You can use your own internal guidance and your intuition to create your life purpose statement.

Your life's purpose is all about finding the ‘why’ behind everything you say and do. If you have never stopped to think about or written down your life purpose now is the perfect time.

Try asking yourself this question...

If you were provided with everything you wanted and needed to release your full potential and achieve your highest vision, what would your life purpose be?

Your Answer...  __________________________________________________.

If you have trouble answering that question, that's OK, because asking that question is a great place to start.

Finding your unique life's purpose is all about discovering what you were put on this earth to do. Your purpose can tell you what to accomplish, for whom, how to accomplish it and in what time frame. When you discover your true purpose, life flows effortlessly, and opportunities fall in your lap.

You’re suddenly in the right place at the right time with the right resources and the right relationships.

Small successes build upon one another to create incredible unstoppable momentum.

How does a life purpose differ from a goal or action plan?

While it's wonderful to set goals and create a plan of action, a life's purpose is the reason you strive for these goals. The life purpose is the 'why' behind everything.

A clearly defined life's purpose is the reason you strive to achieve the results you're looking for. Goals merely define what you'll accomplish and action plans simply define how.

Without a true life's purpose as your compass, your goals and action plans mindlessly drift.

Next, we're going to look at a couple short mental exercises that will get your creative juices flowing.