Just before writing this, I had a conversation with author of Your Goal Guide, Debra Eckerling, for my Seeds of Wisdom series. In her book she mentions writing a mission statement as a similar practice to mine. Though she takes hers a step farther, it inspired me to re-visit what my mission statement is. You are going right along with me, because I’m just writing as I go.

When I want to make sure I’m aligning with what’s best for me, it’s good for me to take a look at my personal mission statement. I write about creating a mission statement for ourselves in Letters from a Better Me, because it’s a way of making sure that I don’t lose my way. In order for the “What Can I Do Now” series to lead me in a purposeful direction, knowing my mission statement is important.

By knowing my mission, I feel more confident in when and where to say, “YES” or “NO!” I use it as a standard to consider my choices. Is how I’m thinking right now aligning with my mission? Oh, it’s not…What are some other ways of thinking that would better align me with my mission?

The last time I wrote a formal mission statement for myself, which is one that I put into writing and displayed, was a few years ago. I like to check in with myself because as I travel life’s journey, I sometimes end up taking roads I didn’t expect, and with that sometimes my mission will expand. Just like a business mission statement, a personal mission statement answers:

• What’s our purpose?
• How do plan to achieve this purpose?
• Why is this is our chosen purpose?

For me, emanating love is the core of my mission. It used to be projecting, but I’ve realized the emanating feels like a better fit since it means to spread out from. This means that I have so much love inside it’s emanating out of me. In order to have that much love inside me, practicing self-love is a key. I have to BE love in order to emanate it.

If my mission is to emanate love, then I consciously watch how I talk to and treat myself. This means I consider how I’m treating myself in nine areas of wellness (that I love so much) from Ohio State University. How am I taking care of myself…

• Creatively?
• Emotionally?
• Spiritually?
• Socially?
• Intellectually?
• Financially?
• Occupationally?
• Environmentally?
• Physically?

If I’m self-abusing in any of the areas, it’s blocking me from emanating love. If I’m self-abusing, I will get walked on more, because that is the energy I’m putting out there. Hence, being walked on or acting as a doormat doesn’t align with my mission. If my mission is to emanate love, then having healthy boundaries is something I practice. One of the gifts of loving myself is having healthy boundaries. Do you see how this works?

I’ve answered the what. Now, I need to look at the how. How am I going to accomplish this mission? What qualities go with emanating love? Remember, since this is my mission, I must be focused on practicing these qualities in how I treat myself too.

Side Note:  I'm thinking all this up as I type it, since this is all about what can I do now, you are in my process with me. If it inspires you to write one for yourself, wonderful.

Brainstorming qualities that align with emanating love:

• Compassion
• Empathy
• Integrity
• Honesty
• Kindness
• Confidence
• Courage
• Vulnerability

Now, what energy aligns with emanating love? You might know because I wrote a year-long series about aligning with this energy daily. If you answered, love, abundance, and peace, that’s right.

I’ve figured out my what, how, and now let’s look at why. Why is having this mission important to me? Why do I want it to be the inner core of who I am in the world? Honestly, I’ve felt called to it. From the moment I was getting verbally abused as I had been for years, but this ONE time I heard an inner voice say, “This isn’t love. Look up the definition of love,” I’ve felt an inner calling to know and be love. Partly because I never wanted to experience and accept abuse like that again.

I’m human, I’m not going to do this perfectly. I have PTSD and OCD. These are challenges I work with when emanating and practicing love, but just like the name, From A Loving Place came to me, it’s the core of everything I strive to be in this world. I’ve learned on my journey that denying any feelings and not loving and accepting myself through my diversions isn’t loving. That’s why I bring SO much attention that it’s important to allow ourselves to feel whatever we are feeling and to accept ourselves wherever we are. Feelings aren’t the problem, suppressing and rejecting them is. Our humanness isn’t the problem, not accepting and loving ourselves through our humanness is. This is just an example of how I grow and expand in my mission to emanate love. I had to realize the denial of what I’m experiencing in any way is not love. With every experience I have, I widen my understanding for what it means to live life from a loving place.

My Mission Statement (Rough Draft):

My purpose is to emanate love in the world. I do this by practicing courage, vulnerability, compassion, empathy, integrity, honesty, kindness and confidence from the inside-out. I feel called to the mission to live life from a loving place through aligning with the energy of love, abundance, and peace as often as I humanly can and showing myself compassion, love, and acceptance in the times where I don’t. In order for me to live this mission, I must love and accept myself and know that I’m worthy of unconditional love.

Now, as I move forward, I will work on getting my mission statement to a place where I feel truly connected to every word. Then, I will print it out and put it on the wall next to where I work as a reminder to look at how I’m treating myself and others with the goal of emanating love.

With Love and Gratitude,

Rachael Wolff, author of Letters from a Better Me and host of the From A Loving Place with Author Rachael Wolff Podcast