HIGH PERFORMANCE WELLNESS: Part II – What do I CHOOSE to Stand For?

well·ness, \ˈwel-nəs\: a dynamic objective and subjective progression toward a state of complete physical, intellectual, emotional, spiritual, economic and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.  Incremental improvements can occur from pre-conception up to and including a person’s last breath

 – MH Samuelson

Position Statement:

Wellness is located at the intersection of Contentment and Aspiration. To live there, you must first choose to move out of the Village of Someday.

 – MH Samuelson

 NOTE 

What follows is Part II of a seven-part essay on work/life balance. While the basic information applies to everyone who accepts pay in exchange for effort, the focus of this essay is on the skills needed to emotionally, physically, spiritually, intellectually, socially and financially thrive in a fast-paced, early stage, entrepreneurial and intrapreneurial venture. 

“Each of you is perfect the way you are…and, you could use a little improvement.”

– Shunryu Suzuki

What is my purpose in life, what do I choose to stand for? Age old question, “Why was I born?” “What is My Purpose?”

Let’s start by developing a first draft of a personal mission statement. Don’t worry about the fine-tuning. For now, just write what comes to mind. To help you get started, here’s an example:

“My personal mission is to progressively and consistently achieve measurably higher levels of physical, emotional, intellectual, social and spiritual awareness by living a life of integrity, curiosity, authenticity, compassion and dedication to the collective needs of all beings. And, to assist others in doing likewise.”

A bit lofty, perhaps, but a personal mission statement should reflect an ideal that you aspire to, something grand, an oath proudly pledged. It needs to be straightforward enough to always recall, subjectively as well as objectively measurable and dynamic to the extent that it is continually evolving.

Another example:

“My personal mission is to be a constant and continuous positive role model for my children and grandchildren. I will demonstrate this by my acts, my deeds, and—most important—my intentions.”

Okay, your turn.

“My personal mission is to …

Now, what is your company’s mission statement? Are the messages in sync? If not, you are heading for trouble. It’s pure hubris (look it up) to suggest that it won’t impact you in some negative fashion.

At the Health and Wellness Institute, our mission was to:

“… progressively and consistently achieve measurably higher levels of physical, emotional, intellectual, social and spiritual awareness by living a life of integrity, curiosity, authenticity, compassion and dedication to the collective needs of all beings. And, to profitably assist others in doing likewise.”

The only difference between my personal mission and the mission of the company that I was charged with managing and growing was the introduction of the word, “profit.” Not a small difference, you might be thinking, and, you are correct—no margin…no mission—but the general philosophy is in perfect harmony.

Okay, your turn.

My company’s mission is to…

Is this in harmony with your personal mission statement?

Coming Up:

Part III:      How Do I Currently Choose to Advance My Thrival and Wellbeing?

Part IV:      If life Gave Me a “Do Over” What Would I Choose to Do Over?

Part V:       Once I Choose a Goal, What’s the Likelihood that I’ll Stay with It?

Part VI:      How Do I Validate and Support the Goals that I Choose?