I was writing up an email to explain to a friend How to Power Your "Why" Into "How.”  Here’s what I wrote.

Creating a One Page Mission - Action Statement for your Why is a Powerful Motivator

Our Powerful “Why” should be a simple, abstract goal in many ways. The broader, the better. “Why?” you might, of course, like the kid asking why is the sky blue?

“Why” Is Your Umbrella

For two reasons. One, the Powerful Why is an ‘umbrella’ goal which captures our enthusiasm, cultivates our mental focus and does not reside in the logical mind. The Logical Mind - what we call the “Inner Voice” or “Inner Roommate” - is logical and meant to keep us safe. This part of the mind sees danger, difficulty, obstacles and negativity in most instances.

NOT where your enthusiasm is, is it?

Second, if you lead with this enthusiastic authentic self, then you must glide along more in the heart than head where opportunity, connectivity and spontaneous intuitive sparks of imagination and inspiration reside.

Now, of course, you have to connect these two powerful “Why” reasons with the logical, organized and structured side of life:

• Work in logical order

• Manage resources

• Make appointments & deadlines

Connect “Why” with Your “How”: Glue for Goals

Inspiration is the key to your Mission Statement which should be four parts enthusiasm with one part logic in my opinion.

Inspiration

"A breathing in or infusion of some idea, purpose, etc. in to the mind: the suggestion, awakening, or creation of some feeling or impulse, especially of an exalted kind".

Exalted. Now this form of exalted does not mean that you have to free a country like Gandhi (though you can) nor inspire a revolution (like George Washington) nor come up with revolutionary discoveries like Marie Curie (though you could). Your ‘exalted’ can take whatever form you like. You are the judge and jury on the matter. You decide your own destiny.

How do you blend the Authentic Enthusiastic “Why” with the Logical “How”?

Your Personal Mission Statement

This Mission Statement is both difficult and easy. Why difficult? You have to be precise, crafting the statement much like a sailor on an adventure sailing in unknown seas. Why easy? You do it all on one page.

A Mission Statement.

One Page ONLY.

Companies routinely use Mission Statements but why not you? Not having a Mission Statement reminds of the person who spends six months planning their vacation - but not a stitch of time figuring out or planning their entire life. I’m not saying you actually can plan out your entire life, but at least a broad goal - and the next year maybe?

Mission: Why?

We break down the statement into two parts:  Mission and Action.  Two paragraphs. 

• Mission: Why?

• Action: How?

Tackle the Mission: Why?

Finding your Why can take time given that we use up our time with life’s daily chores, but check out these seven criteria:

 •Identify Activities where you make people’s lives better.

•Write down  the activities you do that make you forget about the passage of time.

•As a kid, what activities did you just get lost in? 

•When people ask you for help, what is that expertise?

•If you had a year to live, what would you do?

•In teach other people, what subject would you enjoy teaching? 

•What activities would you do for free simply because you love them?  

Action: How?

Write down as many possibilities relating to your Mission: Why?  As possible.  Edit down this group into the actionable steps into three groups:  Today, Next Week, Next Month.  

Beyond this time frame, you are living pretty far out.  At the end of next month, revisit the action steps with possibilities from your feedback/responses/results from the previous month.  

Wash. Rinse. Repeat.