Daily Declarations

For lovers of WORDS…

Or anyone who is feeling a little aimless and lost in life…

Daily Declarations is a habit worth investing in.
If you don’t yet have one, I highly recommend taking the time to craft YOUR personal “Words to Live By” also known as “Daily Declarations”.

I have had a personal mission statement since 2010. Once I combined this with the power of One-Word Living, and Daily Declarations, my sense of purpose in life has increased tremendously.

Knowing your Purpose frees you to choose what’s important to you, instead of what your world pressures you to choose.

How to get started

1) Declutter your mind – go to your happy place (somewhere you won’t be distracted or disturbed) with a notepad and pen, and take some slow deep breaths (inhale 3 seconds, exhale 5 seconds) to center yourself before you begin.

2) Survey your Self – in no particular order, brainstorm your:

• HOW – your personal values, the core beliefs that guide the way you live your life: e.g. excellence, integrity, love, generosity, compassion
• WHO – important people/ social spheres in your life
• WHAT – hobbies/ passions/ occupations

This tells you…

• the kind of person you want to be (HOW you live),
• the kind of people you want to surround yourself with (WHO is in your life), and
• the activities you want to invest your life-time in (WHAT you do).

3) Clarify your “essence” – Consider all the options you have written in front of you, and start circling the ones that you absolutely can’t live without, or rather, the ones that you CHOOSE to live with moving forward.

4) Craft your Daily Declaration by making decisive statements about each of your top priorities from your How-Who-What circles.

5) Display your Daily Declaration – Print it out or write it out on a single sheet of paper. Put it somewhere in your house where you are sure to read it (out loud, so your ears hear it and deepen the neural connections in your brain) to yourself every time you start your day. It could be beside your bed, near your bathroom mirror, on your fridge, or at your desk. If it helps, make it pretty or stand out with bold ink and highlights.

6) Get excited – Reminding yourself each day of the You that You Choose to be is going to change your life… in the direction of who you choose to be. The power is in your hands. It’s self-fulfilling prophecy in action, using the power of Words.

Need some help to get your creative juices flowing?

Check out this blog post by Craig Groeschel for an example of his Daily Declaration.
For Dan Vis’s take on One-Word Living, check out his article on One Word Resolutions.

IMPORTANT: Remember, we are autonomous beings who have the power to choose our destiny not just day by day but in fact decision by decision. Don’t feel pressured or overwhelmed to “get it right” in this process of distilling your You-ness. The How, Who and What of your life is unique to You and is ALWAYS open to change. I actually recommend reviewing your Daily Declaration annually, perhaps when you are choosing your “One-Word” at the start of each year, or maybe aligning it with your birthday.

Like what you read? Post a comment below and share some key words from your How-Who-What circles 🙂