If you’ve read The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People or any other books by Stephen R. Covey, you’re familiar with the importance of a mission statement or a statement of purpose.

A mission statement is used to guide every aspect of your life.

The trouble is, many people just never seem to figure out HOW to create such a statement that will give purpose and meaning to every single thing they do in life.

They come up with what they THINK is their mission statement, yet it doesn’t hold up when they try to use it as the basis for everything they do each and every day.

But that’s exactly what your mission statement should do - it should make your life easier and more focused because every morning you can use your mission statement to design your day.

Sounds impossible, doesn’t it? But it’s not only possible, it’s very effective.

Here's the mission statement that both of us use to give purpose and direction to our lives, whether we're working together or not: The purpose of my life is to reach and enjoy my full unique potential at any given time and to help as many other people in the world as I can do the same thing - live up to their own full unique potential at any given time and enjoy doing so.

This statement is broad enough, yet focused enough, that we can each look at this statement every morning as we plan the day and use it to make decisions as to which opportunities and activities we will take part in that day. This mission statement applies to all aspects of either of our lives as a spouse, parent, coach, author, speaker, etc.

Through the years, we've each discovered our true talents and abilities, and we've learned how to use these talents and abilities to enjoy our full potential at any given moment while also helping others reach their full potential at any given moment.

Our challenge to you today is this - Try applying our mission statement (above) to your own life - just for a week, and use it to plan your activities and make decisions.

If you’re a mom who’s feeling conflicted because your child wants you to volunteer to be room mother this year, yet you really don’t feel you have the time, interest, or energy for that, then look at this mission statement BEFORE you make your decision.

Would being room mother for your child’s class help you realize your full potential in any way and enjoy the process? And, in so doing, would it allow you to help others (the teacher, the students, your own child, etc.) reach their true potential in some way? Or, would this just become another chore you would resent because you would feel it was taking you away from other, more important activities?

If you’re a business owner and you need to make an important decision this week, base your decision on whether it will not only help you realize your highest potential, but on whether it will help your business and all the people involved in that business reach their highest potential.

It will take some practice applying this mission statement to your own life. But just try it for a week and see what happens.