Answer the following questions about yourself. Be specific in your responses and avoid broad, sweeping, phrases like "I want to be happy." or "I want to be successful." The point is to get specific about: What makes you happy? What is really important? What would success look like for you? Before writing your first impulse, ask yourself "Why is this important to me and what is behind my desire?"

1. How I spend my time today:

...In my career
 
 

...With my family
 
 

...With myself
 
 

...With others
 
 

...For organizations
 
 

...For a cause
 
 

2. I am satisfied with these aspects of how I spend my time:
 
 

...I am dissatisfied with these aspects of how I spend my time:
 
 

3. I sometimes find myself giving time and energy to these things which I feel are not really important:

...Things I do that are not important to me....
 
 

...These things are not important because:
 
 

...I do these things because...
 
 

4. My values are important to me and I spend time pursuing them.

(Examples: being right, courtesy, feeling important, sharing, power, loyalty, feeling appreciated, sex, helping others, learning, expanding my wealth, happiness of my family, etc.)

... Five (or more) specificvalues important to who I am:
 
 

I also find these values (three or more) important but I do not spend time actually pursuing them.
...These values are:
 
 

5. As I look back over the past ten years, I wish I had more actively pursued certain values:

...Values I admire but have not pursued.
 
 

...Why I haven't pursued them.
 
 

6. Based on the insights and information gained from answering these questions and on the assesssment that "what you value and believe in drives your actions," answer the following:

The values I have described above show up in these areas of my life.... I will be specific.
 
 

...Work 
 
 

...Family
 
 

...Leisure
 
 

...Other
 
 

7. Use the information you have gained from the previous questions and draft your personal mission as if it had already been achieved. The following scenarios can serve as a guide:

...Imagine that you have been selected to be honored by your organization or professional association for a lifetime achievement award. The speaker presenting the award will spend up to 30 minutes elaborating on your accomplishments and contributions. Write a very detailed presentation on who you are, what you have done to embody your values, and how you have brought what you believe into your family, your job, the community and elsewhere.

...Write your vision as an epitaph to be delivered at the time of your death. (i.e., Jane Doe was a woman who ... She believed ... She lived her life as if ... She conducted her career as if ... She accomplished ... She was the mother/wife/friend who ... and she left this gift to the world ...) 

...Write a letter to your as-yet-unborn grand, or great grand child describing your life, what you believed in, what you accomplished, and how you feel you made a difference in the world.

USE AS MUCH SPACE AS NEEDED. AFTER YOU HAVE COMPLETED THE DOCUMENT, PUT IT ASIDE FOR A WEEK OR TWO, THEN RE-READ AND EDIT IT UNTIL YOU ARE COMFORTABLE WITH THE RESULT. THIS MAY TAKE SEVERAL PASSES. REVISIT IT EVERY YEAR (NEW YEAR'S) AND REWRITE AS NECESSARY!