As Oprah says, “You are fulfilling your mission and purpose on Earth when you honor the real you. Your whole life becomes a prayer of thanksgiving.” 
In this pop-up aerospace village of sorts that was testing equipment and communication systems in the challenging, rocky and lunar-like remote terrain, Babbitt Ranches President Billy Cordasco asked representatives in this international effort to sign a “goat bar,” a tool the ranch designed and uses to pull up the lower strand of wire fences to help pronghorn antelope crawl under and maneuver across the landscape. The exercise was a symbolic, global commitment to care for the land and its inhabitants wherever we are and to consider how we leave the environment for generations to come.
Imagine feeling so good about what you are doing, who you are working with and how you are contributing to an effort bigger than yourself that you are giddy with enthusiasm, open to the possibilities and just plain happy. I believe this is what happens when we love who we are and live our lives on purpose. And that comes from knowing who we are and visualizing what living our best life looks like.
We can all benefit by giving ourselves some quiet time to contemplate what we care about, what talents we have to give the world and how we can participate with others to achieve goals that fulfill us individually, as a group, or even as a species. What do you value? What do you obsessively care about? What are you doing when you lose time and forget about all other matters, including eating and sleeping?
In organizations, foundational principles explain why a company does what it does. An organization with impeccable clarity about what it stands for will have employees who can make decisions with great pride and confidence, knowing and understanding how their actions align with the identified core values. In much the same way, adopting your own personal values will save you from wallowing in indecision or going down a path that’s not right for you and hanging around people who don’t inspire you to be your best. Your values ground you in who you are.
Getting focused about what you, personally, and your work, professionally, stand for makes all kinds of decisions simpler, faster and cleaner, whether they are about selling a product, joining a company, forming a partnership or choosing a new friend.
Google says a mission statement is a “formal summary of the aims and values of a company, organization or individual.” My favorite mission statements are concise and leave no room for interpretation, like TED Talks: “Spread ideas.”
Core values are the fundamental beliefs of a person or organization. They are guiding principles that should be unwavering and serve as a measure against which any idea or action can be measured. They look like: integrity, commitment and perseverance. NASA lists teamwork and excellence.
When we break it all down, living out a personal or professional mission and honoring our values is really about our truth – what we stand for and why we do what we do. This sets us up for a gratifying life.
When we know who we are and are doing what fits for us, uses our individual gifts and contributes to something greater than ourselves, we will know we are living our purpose by how we feel about ourselves and our lives.
As Oprah says, “You are fulfilling your mission and purpose on Earth when you honor the real you. Your whole life becomes a prayer of thanksgiving.” QCBN
By Bonnie Stevens, QCBN
Bonnie Stevens is a public relations consultant. She can be reached at bonnie.stevens@gmail.com.
