When my friends and I traveled in USA, one of the many important things we keep was a map hat showed the interstate highways, cities, etc. It helped us find New York city, Washington D.C., other cities and point of interests for site seeing. It is one of the most important tools that help us get to our destination.
We need a map for our life. We need a picture of our final destination. Either we are studying, starting a new doing business or planning to establish educational institution, we need a map. CEO and Top Management need it for company they lead. We need a tool that will give the direction of our life or company; we need to know our mission that will help us focus on what we should be doing.
What is a mission? In Webster’s College Dictionary (Random House), there are several definitions: “a specific task that a person or group of person is sent to perform; the place of work of such person, or the territory of their responsibility; military operational task, usually signed by a higher headquarters; an aerospace operation designed to carry out the goals of a specific program; an allotted or self-imposed duty or task; calling.” “Mission is a written reason behind an existence- either for an individual or for an organization. It is the key to finding our path in life.” wrote Laurie Beth Jones on her book, The Path.
A good mission statement, said Jones, has three elements: 1) it should be no more than a single sentence long, 2) it is easily understood by 1-12-year-old boy, and 3) it is easily recited by a memory. It requires action verbs, value or principle that we are willing to devote our life to, and a group of people or certain area that we are going to help. In addition, a good mission must be interesting, clear and inspiring. It is related to our natural gift and personality.
I have been working for oil companies for more than twenty years. I had been assigned to different departments- Engineering, Field Operation, Production, Human Resources, Business Excellence, Internal Control, Finance, and Management. The Management decided most of the rotations. But, in 1996 I evaluated myself: my education, interest, personality, experience, and dream. I considered the risks of changing my profession. I thought I was not on the right ‘track.’ Then, I proposed to the Management so that I could be transferred to Human Resources Department. The Management gave their approval. It was one of major decision in my life.
Even though on the last seven years I have enjoyed my career, still I think there is a need to find my ‘true’ profession. I am preparing for that. I do this because I need to accomplish my personal mission.
You may have been on the right track on your career. If you have already, great! If not, it is time to think about your mission. Take time to think about this. I would suggest you develop your own mission. Let’s think what we should be doing, either as an individual or a group as company. And please remember, your job, role, position, and ‘to-do’ list are not your mission. Just like my friend, Harry Prabowo, Petroleum Engineering graduate , ex-Unocal’s Reservoir Engineer and now having his own business, said, “Life is more than calculating gas reserve.”
You may need to read book such as The Path, written by Laurie Beth Jones. She said , ‘to develop your mission, you just need to select three verbs which excites you most; select value or principle that you are willing to devote your life to; and choose whom are you going to help.’
I hope you will find your mission and find the ‘true’ journey in this life.
