Why so few stick to writing long enough

“What’s on your Tombstone?”

When I was a kid, I remember those pizza commercials that they used to play every single night back in the 80s and 90s.

You’d have some cheesy situation where the guy is blindfolded and in front of a Mexican firing squad.

The general would ask the quintessential question, and the guy about to be executed would fire off a list of his favorite pizza toppings.

These days, I rarely eat those pizzas…more of the Costco variety as of late.

Pizza prices are through the roof along with everything else these days.

Anyway, you don’t want to be remembered for preferring pepperoni, olives, and bacon on your pizza would you?

No, you’d want to be remembered as someone who made a “dent in the universe” as Steve Jobs put it.

Your identity is build in the present, and it’s what you pass on to the next generation.

Things don’t last nearly as long as ideas.

I’ve talked about your core values and what matters to you so far because these are the components to crafting the foundation of your digital heirloom.

Let’s talk about your mission statement.

You can’t take it with you

I can see your eyes rolling.

“Oh jeez, really Vince? You really are just like every other guru selling the whole self-improvement schtick.”

Well excuuuuuuse me!

Life has meaning only as long as you give it meaning.

In reality, we’re all just a bag of organs hanging from a scaffold with a wet computer and hard drive balled up to coordinate it all.

Our ability to communicate through the written word to share ideas and thoughts is what makes us unique among the creatures on this planet.

To that end, we have the ability to create a legacy beyond the material things.

Some of us are lucky enough to have ours last beyond the two or three generations that we can get if we make it to having grandchildren.

Pending an extinction-level event, our current technology can potentially make this much longer…

BUT

Our relevance becomes the question at hand (especially in the face of AI).

Alright?

So you need a mission statement to guide you.

BTW, it does occur to me that you can use AI to help you figure it out, but really…you need to have something to start with.

Even calculators need at least two numbers.

Good thing we’ve already got a few ideas, right?

The lens you need is just one sentence

Take a look at the five core values that you’ve developed from the previous exercise as well as the identity story you put together…

Think about the thoughts and actions that define your identity.

Are you aligned with everything that you’ve put together so far?

If not, then you’re lying to yourself about what you value or you are far off the mark of where you want to be.

Either way, you have some work to do.

If not, then good…why would you lie about your identity to yourself anyway?

I’m just a guide. It’s not my place to judge you on your journey. I’m sharing what I’ve discovered so that you can get there faster.

In any case, your values and your origin story can be boiled down into your mission statement, one that reminds you of the impact you want to have and leave behind.

Here’s my mission statement:

I inspire others to reach their full potential both physically and mentally with gratitude, persistence, and staying connected to their loved ones as I hone my communication skills in all forms this world has to offer.

What do I do with this?

If this is your first go around with this kind of exercise, then congratulations!

If you unsubscribed right now with this, then I’m glad that I was able to at least get you started with a little more direction.

It’s a live statement, one that needs to be revisited and reviewed every year or two.

It’s meant to guide you as your anchor in all that you do.

Having a mission statement is like having a flashlight in the dark, a wind at your back, or a hundred dollar bill in your wallet.

It’s a foundation.

Next, let’s see if your digital presence reflects your mission statement…