Freedom Writers: Mapping out your own life

Would you consider building your dream home without a blueprint? Would you make your favorite casserole without using a recipe? Would you write an important term paper without first creating an outline? The logical answer to all of these questions is "no".

Each of these scenarios shares a common ingredient, which is foresight, or an awareness of the end in mind. In addition, the means to the end (blueprint, recipe and outline) serves as a visual reminder of the finished product. In other words, it's difficult to reach your goal without first recognizing the path.

Having said this, I often ask myself, "Why do so many of us fail to apply this concept to our own lives?" Doesn't it make sense to create a blueprint for living a fulfilled life? After all, we only get one chance.

These are questions I recently posed to a group of 11 to 14 year olds as part of their participation in my leadership program titled YELP (Youth Exemplifying Leadership Principles). Armed with a new paradigm of life, each student was asked to write a personal mission statement that would serve as a blueprint for his or her life. Just as a tree relies on its strong root system to survive the perils of Mother Nature, these students will rely on their mission statement to remain strong in the face of adversity.

It is my hope that this process will help them to recognize the importance of understanding their values and living a life that is aligned with those values. Following are several journal entries from my students that capture the power of this exercise.

For more information about YELP, contact Mike Sissel at (480) 229-8767, or visit www.azyelp.com (coming soon).

Mike Sissel is a former teacher in the Kyrene School District. He recently created a youth leadership organization called YELP (Youth Exemplifying Leadership Principles).

Journal 1

A mission statement personally represents you. It's all about who you are and what you stand for. They are "guidelines" to your life. It's important to have one because it will remind you to stay true to yourself even when things may get hard, or when you encounter setbacks. It's your very own, you are the author, and no one can add or delete anything from YOUR mission statement. Here is mine.

I will serve others with all of my heart

I will treasure my friendships

I will not do anything that will embarrass my family

I will encourage others to dream, no matter how impossible they may seem

I will follow in God's footsteps

I will always make time for family

I will keep my grades as high as the sky

I will never be ashamed of who I am, or my religion

I will confront labor with a positive attitude

Journal 2

Have you ever mapped out what you want your life to look like? Have you ever written it in words? I have, by writing my own mission statement. A mission statement is where you get to write what you want to live like. There are no rules to it except that it must be your own. Not what your parents want. Not what your friends want. Just what you want, which makes it truly your own future. This is my mission statement.

To dream and inspire

Live peacefully and happy

Be humorous, loving, honest and trustworthy

Live well

Enjoy Life

Journal 3

A mission statement is a guideline for your life that you make for yourself. A well- written mission statement will help you set goals and make better decisions. For example, part of my mission statement says "Be who I want to be, NOT what other people want me to be." So, if someone were to ask me to do something that was bad, my mission statement would help me "press the pause button" to think about what this will do for me in the future. Is it what I want to be? Is that how I want to be viewed? Most likely, I would do the right thing and say "no" (in this example). To help you have a better picture of the concept of a mission statement, I will share mine. As a confused pre-teen, I write this to help me with everyday life.

I vow to influence everybody I meet. To love and be loved. I vow to take care of everybody I know and to make a difference in this world we call home. To find the good in the bad. Know that the only voice that matters in the end is my own. I vow to take control of my life and to never give up. To go into everything that comes my way with an open mind and to look for new opportunities. And most of all, be who I want to be, NOT what other people want me to be.

Journal 4

Thanks to the YELP program, I have learned about personal mission statements and why it is good to have one. A mission statement is a list of your own beliefs and goals that you would like to pursue and live by throughout your life. It's something that claims what's meaningful to you. They are words that you want to remind yourself about and live by.

Mission statements are important because they give you something to strive toward. Having a mission statement can help you be successful and have a better life. It reminds you of everything you want to do and achieve. My mission statement is:

Always be true to God.

Love everyone for who they are.

Try my hardest in everything I do.

I want to inspire people as I get older.

I want to change the world.

Journal 5

Today we learned about mission statements. A mission statement is like a blueprint for your life, something you want your life to have in it. It is important to have a mission statement because it helps you define your life and it can help you achieve your goals. It can also help you make decisions that make your life better or worse depending on your mission statement. My mission statement is Live, Laugh, Love, Education, Happiness and Religion.

Journal 6

A mission statement is a basic guideline that you call your own. It's your beliefs, hopes, dreams and thoughts gathered in one or more sentences. It's the standard for which you create your goals. Without a mission statement you have no guidelines, no value to your decisions and no groundwork to base your goals. My mission statement is:

To continuously pursue success by leading a rewarding and intellectual life. To always strive for laughter, love, peace and happiness. To always work hard to reach my goals and so much more.

Journal 7

A mission statement is about what you really want to live your life for. What are the most important things in your life?

The main reason a mission statement is important is because some people set goals and they just forget them or say they will never be able to reach them. Well, if you have a mission statement you will be able to remember the sky is the limit no matter what age you are. My mission statement is:

Love life

Live like there is no tomorrow

Be brave

Take on new challenges

Set goals that I can reach

Keep my love for animals

Be true to myself

Humor

Never give up

Believe in my friends