Are you living life or does it feel like life is living you? There are three important tools that help a leader, or anyone for that matter, take control of the direction of their lives. These are a life purpose statement, a list of core values, and a personal goals document. All three of these tools work together and must have consistency and cohesion. They also all evolve over time as we grow.

The life purpose statement is also sometimes called a life mission or a personal mission statement. It states in one or two sentences what you envision as your passion or calling in life. It answers, at least in part, the question of “why am I here?” It describes how your impact will change the world. The objective of your life purpose statement is to set a stake in the ground regarding your priorities about how you will use your resources of time, energy, and money.

The core values list is the result of examining and deciding which values are most important to you. You can easily find sample lists of potential core values. Some of these lists of sample values have more than 500 values and we could agree that most of them are good values. But your core values list should be the 5-10 values that are of highest value to you. They represent your character and are the personal values that are inviolable in your mind. The objective of the core values list is to guide decision making.

The personal goals document formulates and specifies your most important goals. We often have career goals, family goals, individual goals, short-term goals, long-term goals, and life goals. This personal goals document brings these all together. It is not a long to-do list. It should be the most important things, perhaps 5-10 goals in total, that you hope to accomplish in your life, in the next five or ten years, or in the next year. The objective of the personal goals document is to set a plan in motion.

If you have these tools in place, it is good idea to periodically review them to be sure that they continue to represent who you are and what you hope to accomplish with your life and resouces. If you do not have these tools or are struggling to define them, perhaps a coach or mentor would be helpful. New Horizon Partners, Inc. serves people in leadership, executive, and life coaching and we would be glad to discuss how we might serve you.

Do you have a life purpose statement, a list of core values, and a personal goals document? How have they been helpful to you?