Getting ahead: Craft a mission statement

Feeling like you're in a rat race, unsure of your true purpose?

Get off the wheel for a few and develop a mission statement. Yes, these also exist for individuals and they do wonders in providing direction on a daily basis for work and life. Finding the right words to express your direction can help guide a job search or clarify a career direction.

"Think about when you are building a house. You invest in a blueprint because you want to be clear about the type of house you want to have," says Debra S. Lund, director of corporate public relations for Franklin Covey, the Utah company that provides leadership training. "In the same way, mission statements define what you want to accomplish."

Once you understand your greater goals, it's easier to value your daily activities, and you begin to live by design, not default.

A mission statement could run long or short, focus on career aspirations and professional gifts, redirect your energies to your family or emphasize true balance between home and life. One example: "I live to serve my talents as a communicator, artist and independent businesswoman."

Another way to approach a mission statement is to express action verbs you want in your life. For example, "Fight: for my beliefs, for my passion, to accomplish, to do good, to be true to myself, against apathy."

An online "mission statement builder" at the Franklin Covey website, franklincovey.com, will walk you through the process.