A personal purpose statement is a powerful mission statement that aligns your actions with your fundamental values and aspirations. Crafting this statement involves understanding what truly matters to you and articulating it in a way that inspires and directs your choices with clarity and intention.

For the past decade, we have journeyed alongside families, exploring their values and aspirations. But everything transformed when we introduced the powerful concept of crafting a purpose statement. Goals evolved into grand visions, bold and inspiring. They became avenues for meaningful impact, fueled by a newfound clarity in their direction, life’s mission, and legacy. Let’s dive into how you, too, can formulate your North Star.

“Rain, rain, go away, come again another day.” This simple nursery rhyme has become my personal mantra over the past few days. The relentless downpour has transformed our farm into a soggy, muddied expanse, turning Back Creek into a raging torrent that overflows into Branch Creek and across our fields. What used to be calm, open land is now home to a newly formed third pond. The water roars like a wild beast, intimidating even the bravest of our dogs—none of whom are eager to dive in for a swim despite their mud-covered coats begging for a rinse.

The question "What is your sentence?" cuts through the noise like a laser beam in a world brimming with endless opportunities, countless distractions, and myriad paths to explore. It challenges us to distill the essence of our lives into a single, powerful statement. This is more than just a personal mission statement; it's a declaration of purpose, a guiding star that aligns your actions with your deepest values and aspirations.

Pruning a tree involves selectively removing branches or parts of the tree for various purposes, such as improving the tree's health. Sometimes, we need to prune our family tree for the same reason. No, I am not saying you need to cut off a family branch because of interpersonal conflicts that may arise. That is a topic for another time. It might be time to prune even if your tree has flourished for multiple generations. The question to ask yourself is, are you only a passenger on the family’s journey or the driver? Are you letting the rising generation take their wheel?

On December 21, 2020, the Christmas Star was visible to those who had a clear sky. Those who did not have the opportunity to view the astronomical phenomenon, due to cloudy skies, light pollution, or smog, still experienced the feeling of hope for the future. Even if the sky was not clear, the guiding light in the direction of the future was recognized. This event only happens once every 800 years, but the North Star is used as an anchor in the sky guiding us toward a purposeful destination every night. It is the same with a vision statement, which describes what dreams we want to achieve long term thus giving direction toward realization. The vision should be visible daily through multiple channels, used to engage family members or employees and to see the “Greater Good” the vision creates.

In school we are taught that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. Even when running marathons you learn about running tangents, running from one curve in the road to the next using the shortest possible line. Mathematically those are accurate strategies, however, it doesn’t necessarily apply in life. When we design our life plan, we presume we should take the straight path toward our dreams. But in reality, it is the meandering path leading to the destination which will be the most meaningful. Why? Because that journey will be filled with interesting, unfamiliar experiences as well as surprises along the way. Don’t become too focused on the getting there as fast as you can just to check off a completed goal. Instead, take time to recognize the small steps as well as the big ones. Enjoy the missteps and failures. Stop and celebrate moving the flag toward your dreams.

At 17 years old, you don’t know your life’s purpose much less where you want to go to college or what to study. Growing up in Chicago, I was surrounded by top universities. What prompted me to go to college in small town Minnesota baffles me to this day. I don’t like cold and a small town at that time wasn’t for me. Although it was a good experience and met life long friends, I wanted a city life where there was action.

My parents prompted a change to transfer to Georgia Tech in downtown Atlanta to study engineering. The coordinator for new students gave the age old speech, “look to your left, look to your right, those faces will not be there after a year.” That proved to be a reality for my roommates. With the motto “To be the best,” on our door, I was determined not to be a statistic.