Hey there , welcome back . Today I wanted to invite you to do an exercise with me , so you might want to grab a journal . It's kind of a personal one . It's something that I think you're going to find interesting . It's all about self-discovery and purpose . You know we all have these guiding principles , values and unique ways of seeing the world that shape who we are , even if we don't always articulate them . But what if we could ? What if we could distill our beliefs and experiences and values into a statement that reflects our true mission in life ? Well , that's the goal of today's episode .
Lisa HopkinsI've put together a series of questions that I like to think of as a personal mission tool . So these are prompts that encourage reflection and self-discovery , helping us to uncover those central beliefs and principles that guide us . It's an interesting exercise and I hope you'll come along with me . So this is how it's going to work . I'm going to share each of these questions with you and , as we go , I encourage you to take a moment to reflect on your own answers . You may want to grab again a notebook or a journal , or simply take a mental note as we go through them . You can listen right through and then go back and do it again , or you can pause the track . Really , whatever works for you , all right . So after I go through all the prompts , I'll then share my own responses , giving you a window into how I think about my own purpose and values , and by the end I'll read the personal mission statement I created through this exercise for myself , a statement that's come to represent well what I stand for and what drives me . So let's dive in and start exploring the questions that help us all bring more clarity , exploring the questions that help us all bring more clarity , focus and purpose to our lives . So here we go .
Lisa HopkinsThere are going to be nine questions , and the first question is this If you could create a unique title that captures who you are and what you believe in , what would it be ? If you could create a unique title that captures who you are and what you believe in , what would it be ? Now ? By title , I mean something that goes by your name , you know , something interesting and unique to you , something that is not CFO or something that's been used across the board , something that is truly unique for you . So what do you want to call yourself If you could create a unique title that captures you and what you believe in . What would it be ? Take a few moments just to think about that , or jot it down , or pause the track , if you like , and when you're ready , I'm going to give you question number two . So , who are the people in your life ? I'm going to give you question number two . Who are the people in your life that have influenced you to be the best version of yourself ? So I'll say it again who are the people in your life that have influenced you to be the best version of yourself ? So , as you're thinking about this , think about when you felt best with the people that were around you , people that elevated you , people that aligned with you . Who are the people in your life that have influenced you to be the best version of yourself ? All right , we've got number three .
Lisa HopkinsWhat values or principles do you live by and how do they influence your choices ? What values or principles do you live by and how do they influence your choices ? What values or principles do you live by and how do they influence your choices ? So that's a big question . You might just want to jot down a few values that come to mind or principles . A few values that come to mind or principles . You don't necessarily have to analyze how they influence your choices right now , but draw awareness around that as you look back , and hopefully you will . So again , the question number three what values or principles do you live by , and how do they influence your choices ? All right .
Lisa HopkinsNumber four what's a feeling that you've embodied that truly reflects who you are , reflects who you are ? What's a feeling that you've embodied that truly reflects who you are ? So what we're looking for here is a feeling that you understand deep inside your body , something that , through experience , through knowing , through awareness that you have actually embodied . Try to tap into that for a minute . We've all caught these moments in our lives where we've truly had a feeling that embodies and truly reflects who we are . So , again , number four is what's a feeling you've embodied that truly reflects who you are ?
Lisa HopkinsSo , number five the question is what helps you stay connected to your inner source of inspiration ? You stay connected to your inner source of inspiration , especially when you face self-doubt or challenges . What helps you stay connected to your inner source of inspiration , especially when you face self-doubt or challenges ? Now , when you're looking for the answer to this , I want you to look inward . I'm not talking about people , places or things that help us stay connected . No external factors in this answer . I want you to reach internally into your internal dialogue . To reach internally into your internal dialogue . What helps you stay connected there , to your inner source of inspiration ? We all have one , especially when you face self-doubt or challenges . You might want to pause the track for that one . That's a lot to think about .
Lisa HopkinsAll right , let's look at number six . Which roles that you play in your life hold the deepest meaning for you ? Which roles and we all play so many which roles in your life hold the deepest meaning for you ? And now number seven how do you define success and what guides your choices for the future ? I'm going to ask again how do you define success and what guides your choices for the future ? There's not one way to think about success and there's certainly not a prescribed definition of success . It is we who create our own definition and it's really important to look into what that is . So this is your opportunity to answer the question how do you define success and what guides your choices for the future ?
Lisa HopkinsAll right , when you're ready , question number eight where do you feel most at home ? Where do you feel most at home ? Where do you feel most at home and if you care to think a little more about this , you can consider how do those places shape your identity ? Where do you feel most at home ? And again , I'm not necessarily looking for a physical place , but more of a spiritual place , a place where you feel at home with yourself , where you feel comfortable to express the most beautiful expression of yourself , the highest expression of yourself . So where do you feel most at home and how do those places shape your identity ? There are no right or wrong answers , my friends . And again , you can do this again and again until you hone it just the way you want it . It's malleable , you can change it . All right .
Lisa HopkinsWe've got one more question , question number nine . If you had to describe your philosophy in one sentence , what would it be ? If you had to describe your philosophy in one sentence , what would it be Now ? I would encourage you not to think too hard here , but rather tap into your intuition , get to that felt spot , let your philosophy evolve out of there . You might want to consider all the answers to these questions before you answer this final question . So I recommend pausing here for reflection and to jot down anything that's come up for you and then , when you're ready , I'm going to share with you the answers to each of the questions that I came up with on these prompts , so you'll get to hear the questions again and then you'll hear my responses . So the first question was if you could create a unique title that captures who you are and what you believe in . What would it be ? And my response was I call myself a creative energy optimizer , because I believe creative thinking is the key to a fulfilling life . Also , I love the acronym CEO .
Lisa HopkinsNumber two who are the people in your life that have influenced you to be the best version of yourself ? When answering this question , I went to a place where I could really feel that influence and I came up with this phrase , which was I have lived and worked alongside inspiring creative people my whole life . Those are the people in my life that have influenced me to be the best version of myself , for sure . Number three what values or principles do you live by and how do they influence your choices ? What I came up with for that was I know what it means to lead with passion and to follow my heart . Leading with passion and following my heart are two principles that I live by and they influence everything I do , because when I lead with passion and follow my heart , I stay open and I'm living in a world of possibilities connected to me , to my why All right .
Lisa HopkinsNumber four what's a feeling you've embodied that truly reflects who you are ? So remember , this was one where I really wanted you to connect with a place inside yourself where you really felt connected to your physical self and embody that energy right ? An energy that truly reflects who you are . So what I wrote was I know what it feels like to perform at my highest level and sometimes quite literally leave it all on the dance floor , and that's a feeling that I've embodied that truly reflects who I am . That's a feeling that I've embodied that truly reflects who I am . And the interesting thing is I don't need to be dancing to do it right . Dancing is a metaphor in the fact that I did do that literally on the dance floor . It's not lost on me that I do that everywhere in life . The way we do one thing is the way we do everything right . Yeah .
Lisa HopkinsSo number five what helps you stay connected to your inner source of inspiration , especially when you face self-doubt or challenges ? I wrote I strive to be connected with my muse , who sings louder than the voices in my head that try in vain to hold me back from dancing to the music . That is this beautiful life . So when negative thoughts , negative energy , unproductive thoughts creep in and try to overshadow the light that I know is within me , I listen to the louder , more powerful voice of my muse . All right , let's take a look at number six . The question is which roles in your life hold the deepest meaning for you ? And that one came really easily for me , I responded I am a proud mother , a daughter , a sister and life partner and life partner .
Lisa HopkinsNumber seven was how do you define success and what guides your choices for the future ? I came up with I understand that success is often the very thing that stands in the way of becoming who I know I can be in this world . I went on to write I refuse to be defined by what I've done or make choices based on what I think I should be doing next . So for me , it really is about living in the moment , not being affected by any kind of success or glory or negativity or anything from the past , and not being worried about the future . That's success to me .
Lisa HopkinsThe next question , number eight , was where do you feel most at home and how do those places shape your identity ? So I responded in a literal and then sort of a more metaphorical way , and I said there are two countries that I call my home , but I strive to live in moments discovered all around me , in the places where there are spaces and where the unremarkable becomes profound . Yeah , I went there Again . This is your statement . You can write anything you like . It's an affirmation in a way , an empowerment , in a way . Right , all right , let's do number nine . So the question , or the prompt , was if you had to describe your philosophy in one sentence , what would it be ? Oh , such an easy question , isn't it , though ? So what I came up with was my philosophy is to live in the moment and to see possibilities everywhere . It's not easy to distill it to one sentence , but if I had to , that feels right to me . So now I want to share with you the personal mission statement that came to life from these reflections , right , a statement that I carry with me as a reminder of who I am and what I'm here to do , and I encourage you to do the same once you've gone through it is to take the questions away and form a statement with all your answers edited as needed . All right , I kept mine quite literally , but here we go .
Lisa HopkinsI call myself a creative energy optimizer because I believe creative thinking is the key to a fulfilling life . I have lived and worked alongside inspiring creative people my whole life . I know what it means to lead with passion and to follow my heart . I know what it feels like to perform at my highest level and sometimes quite literally leave it all on the dance floor . I strive to be connected with my muse , who sings louder than the voices in my head that try in vain to hold me back from dancing to the music . That is this beautiful life . I am a proud mother , daughter , sister and life partner .
I understand that success is often the very thing that stands in the way of becoming who I know I can be in this world . I refuse to be defined by what I've done or make choices based on what I think I should be doing next . There are two countries that I call my home , but I strive to live in the moments discovered in between , all around me , in the places where there are spaces and where the unremarkable becomes profound . I strive to live in the moment and to see possibilities everywhere . That's what I got . I can't wait to hear what you come up with . Thank you for joining me on this journey today . I hope that these questions inspire you to reflect on your own path and that maybe you'll discover a personal mission statement of your own that brings more clarity and purpose to your life . I'm Lisa Hopkins . Thanks so much for listening . Stay safe and healthy , everyone , and remember to live in the moment .