Clarify Your Personal Mission to Capture Crowds

When a mishmash of feelings clouded Heather's sense of her life and career direction, she got clarity through crafting a personal mission talk.

Besides helping her define her professional priorities, digging deeply into her life helped clarify its purpose - and gave her insight that will remain valuable to her for years to come.

The resurfacing of painful childhood memories about a beloved uncle's death and her mother's unwillingness to comfort her were hampering her work as a software sales strategist – affecting her ability to make educational social media videos starring the company's products in particular.

“My company came to me and said they were worried about the messages I was putting out,” she confided to me during one of our coaching sessions. “They didn’t know if I was OK.”

On top of that issue, she'd also been knocked sideways by the recent deaths of a number of people close to her, she said.

EMOTIONAL CHALLENGES

Heather recognized that she needed help dealing with her emotional challenges. I recommended she reach out to specialists who were equipped to help her explore her unresolved feelings - and she said she'd take my advice.

But she still wanted to work with me to improve her ability to make those videos.

With the backing of her counsellor, we collaborated on helping her create a personal mission statement that would give her greater clarity about her emotions and career direction.

It’s long been said that crafting a personal mission statement can help an individual identify their values and goals.

Here's the three-step system I used with her to help her craft a personal mission statement that freed her from the tyranny of unexplored feelings:

Step 1: Writing 

Open a journal. Write down answers to these questions:

1. What's most important to you? Who are you and who do you want to be? What are you most passionate about?

2. What are your most important goals? What are your major personal and professional goals? In a perfect world, what would your relationships, achievements and career look like? Get as specific as you can regarding your job title and level, for instance.

3. What do people who know your work best consider to be your greatest strengths

What traits, skills or other factors do you want to be known for when people think of you?

4. What is the mark you want to leave on the world? Which skill set or knowledge base will help you achieve your goal? What vision motivates you?

After you’ve worked out answers to these exercises, do a 2-3 minute video version of these insights. Your aim is to get to the core of your feelings. As you speak into the recorder on your phone or laptop, answer these questions:

1. Who are you? What do you do? What’s your main purpose in speaking to us?

2. How did you get interested in this topic? What can we hope to learn from hearing your story today?

3. How did you find your story? Make us see, hear and feel every detail of what you are remembering and feeling.

4. How have your experiences affected your personal growth and world view?

5. To what extent have your experiences affected your resolve to help others? Talk about relevant actions you’ve taken in this regard.

6. What are your proudest triumphs, projects, or success stories in connection with helping others?

7. If you had only have 1 minute left to share your final message from your journey with the world, what would it be?

Step 3: Practical application

If these exercises give you clarity, start getting more specific. Create a 2-3 minute video on any one of these business or work topics:

1.     Why do you do this? How did you get into this?

2.     How do you work with your clients? What is it like to work with you?

3.     How do your clients inspire you?

4.     What is your dream for this business/for your clients?

5.     How has your background shaped your world view?

6.     What was the breakthrough moment that gave you your mission?

7.     Where or who do you get your inspiration from?

8.     How would you answer a common question you get from your target audience?

9.   What's your prediction for the future in your industry?

10.   What is your side of a topic that your industry is split on?

11.  What are your thoughts on a notable piece of content that's been published by someone else?

12.   What's your top 10 list of lessons learned?

13.   What's your welcome to your new followers? What can they expect from you?

14.  Why do customers need to use your product/service? What are the risks if they don't use it?

15.   What’s a common misconception in your industry? What's your advice on what your target audience needs to start doing?

MAKING DECISIONS EASIER

Working through this system helped Heather. Practicing thinking deeper made decision-making easier for her, as it clarified whether the decisions she’d been making were in alignment with what she wanted for her life.

She expressed what a lot of people who go through this process think, in one of our sessions.

“I knew my truth, but I didn’t want to look at it.”

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5 Public Speaking Strategies to Help You Ascend to the Next Level in Your Career

1️⃣ Motivate the audience.

2️⃣ Give them the details.

3️⃣ Make the presentation feel more like a dialogue.

4️⃣ Be clear about why your information is significant for them.

5️⃣ Be human.

Find out more by clicking on the image below.

I Was Speaking at a Service Club Breakfast Meeting When a Woman Sitting in Front of Me Accidentally Knocked Over Her Water Glass

Water splashed over everything. She jumped up, shrieking. 

And my speech screeched to a halt. 

When things settled down again, I resumed my talk. 

Find out what I did next and how I regained the attention of the room by clicking on the image below.

MICHAEL'S MOTIVATING MISSIVE

The opportunities and goals you seek don't just happen, you have to create them.

Here's a mindset tip: don’t limit yourself into thinking that you can only do what you have always done or seen others do.

You can go as far as your mind and determination allow you. Believe in yourself and what you are capable of.

THANKS FOR SPENDING TIME READING THIS NEWSLETTER! LET ME KNOW HOW YOU LIKED IT.

And remember, as the US business consultant and author Price Pritchett says: "If you must doubt something, doubt your limits."

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