Do you have a personal mission? Do you have a compelling reason to get out of bed each day and work consistently toward a clear payoff?
If not, you may be lost in a cycle of inertia. Inertia occurs when your life lacks forward progress and stagnant energy begins to build up. Stagnant energy buildup will eventually create persistent lack, emptiness and lethargy in all areas of your life.
You don’t need lofty goals to avoid stagnation and lack, but you do need to be focused on some type of progress and movement rather than staying stuck in one place. Creating a personal mission can motivate you to climb out of the rut of mediocrity and blast stagnation out of your life permanently.
In order to choose a personal mission, first remember that everything in life has a payoff – both good and bad. Even bad habits like smoking and overeating provide some kind of payoff, or people wouldn’t keep doing them!
Here’s another example of a positive payoff received from a negative situation: if you are in the midst of financial hardship, the payoff might be that you don’t have the funds to start that business you’ve always dreamed of, so you’ll never have to face your fear of failure. It seems like a negative situation, but on some level it’s working for you so you feel no real incentive to change it.
Do you have other situations that keep you locked into mediocrity? Write them down and review them carefully. Then ask yourself if you are willing to form a personal mission that will boost you out of the rut.
You cannot be motivated to change anything about your life until you have a compelling reason to do so – and that is where your personal mission comes in. Your mission has to be a reason so STRONG and so IMPORTANT that you cannot deny it.
Examples:

• “It is vitally important to me to create financial security for my family.”
• “I choose to enjoy a greater sense of fulfillment in my work.”
• “I choose to feel proud about my accomplishments.”
• “I’m taking control of my life and avoid playing the role of victim.”
• “I’m going to show that jerk Mike next door that I’m better than he is.”

That last one is a joke, by the way. 😉
Make your personal mission about you or your family, not about others. Choose something that really speaks to your heart, way down deep inside. It should be something that makes you feel as determined and fired up as possible. Then write a clear statement that describes your personal mission.
Once you have your mission statement, you have to keep imprinting it on your mind daily – preferably several times a day. Keep reading it to yourself. Write about it in a journal. State your reasons for wanting it. Vow to keep moving toward it no matter what.
Make it the most powerful goal you’ve ever pursued, and you’ll have all the motivation you need to make lasting changes.