New Year’s Day can represent the first blank page of your 365-page book—so write a great one!
One of my favorite parts about being a publisher is the early glance at all the informative articles and
wonderful advertisers that will be featured in the upcoming issue. When I sat down with my morning coffee to see what Natural Awakenings Long Island (NALI) was serving up for January 2017, I felt such pride for the work I get to do and the amazing things I get to share with you all. I needed that feeling, because to be honest, this job, I imagine like all jobs, can be a struggle at times!
I think everyone has a love/hate relationship with what they do for a living. Sometimes, I find myself wondering if publishing NALI is truly “my purpose.” Is it what I’m meant to be doing? How would I even know? How would you know if the job you currently hold is truly “meant” for you? (I mean other than the obvious, “Hellooooooo, it pays the bills.”) Maybe, it can start with having a personal mission statement. I know… I know, you’re thinking mission statements are for companies; however, I think they’re important for individuals, too.
There’s no better time than the start of a new year to create a mission statement. It’s a great right-brain exercise. Simply write down in a stream of consciousness 30 to 40 statements of who you want to be and what you want to have, like “I am as strong as I was when I was 26,” “I am the president of a successful fortune 500 company,” “I have a home on the ocean.” When your right brain has finished composing your statements, tell your left brain to make sense of it all and to narrow it down to no more than five of the most important ones.
I did this exercise recently, thanks to Life and Business Coach Mary Lynn Ziemer (LivingAJoyfulLifeNow.com), and was pleasantly surprised to find I’m much closer to who I want to be and have more of what I want to have than I thought. Oh, sure, on my list of 30 statements there were things I don’t have (and STILL want), like a cottage overlooking the ocean and the body I had when I was 26. But when my left brain carved away at my list, the important things that popped up (health, family and a grateful heart) are things I currently enjoy. I am living my purpose, and the magazine is part of that. I discovered, most importantly, that my life’s purpose is derived from so much more than my job.
It’s hard not to let dissatisfied emotions creep into our lives. Especially, when we’re continually looking outward. There will always be someone skinnier, or richer, or who has a better career or a nicer car. And we can’t help but wish we were THAT or had THAT, too. However, the second we stop looking outward and turn our glance inward, we may find we’re actually doing OK. Looking outside ourselves takes our eyes off the prize. But when we gaze inward, we can start to realize we ARE the prize.
So, let’s do this NALI you-show-me-yours-I’ll-show-you-mine exercise: Use #2017MissionStatement and share your mission statement on Facebook. Be sure to tag Natural Awakenings Long Island! Do this and you will be entered into a drawing to win some amazing prizes from our supportive advertisers. So, don’t put it off, and be sure to share. A mission statement is the perfect way to start your 365-page book!
Malama Pono!
Kelly Martinsen, Publisher
