Over the last few weeks I’ve been asking you questions to help you uncover some of the underpinning ideas behind your mission:
- the difference you want to make in the world and to the lives of others
- your strengths and the things you love to do that you can build on to make this difference
- your values – the things that are important to you which will guide how you go about making it happen.
These are like the pieces of a jigsaw, ready to be slotted together to form a picture.
- They might start off looking disjointed until suddenly you find the connecting piece.
- They might look like one thing to start with, only to discover they’re something completely different.
- It might take a little while to see the connections, but once they start to fit, the next piece becomes clearer.
The more you come back to the elements of your puzzle and play with how they sit with each other, adding pieces as you discover them, the more you’ll start to see the big picture.
It might feel confusing at first, but keep looking and you’ll start to see how your unique combination of strengths, values and impact can all be combined together to bring your difference in the world.

One way to start to fit the pieces together is to write a mission statement, based on what you’ve come up with so far:
- Read through everything you have (from the exercises in previous articles) and highlight the things that really leap out at you.
- Fill in the blanks in the mission statement outline (see image) and notice how it all hangs together.
- Once you’ve got a rough sentence, read through it, adjust it and tune in to how you feel about it. It should feel motivating and empowering (and maybe a little scary). Tweak it if you want.
- Put it to one side and return to it later. Add more, remove things, and change the structure if you want… slowly it will evolve into something that feels like yours.
- Write it out and put it somewhere you will see it every day so that it inspires you and keep you focused on the things that really matter to you.
Most importantly, give yourself permission not to get it perfect and to take your time. I’ve been working on my mission statement for the last 3 years, and whilst it inspires me every time I read it, I still continue to tweak and adapt!
If you want to get into more depth in discovering your mission my Whats Your Why programme is a one-month, self-directed online programme designed to connect you with what’s important to you and the things that motivate you, and turn these into a mission and vision. It also includes practical steps to help you to take your mission into the world to increase your visibility, influence, impact and authenticity.
Or you can get direct, personalised support from me by booking a one-hour one-to-one Uncover Your Mission session.
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