To lead a balanced life of family, work and leisure so that I can be a happy and successful wife, mother, leader, and environmental scientist who brings happiness, joy and love to others and leaves the world a better place.

~Alison Franklin, Ph.D. Student

This is my personal mission statement that I scripted today after a workshop on Self Mentorship at the Penn State GWIS Voices Conference. If you have never crafted a Personal Mission Statement, I strongly recommend doing so. It takes a great deal of reflection, but it should be a statement that epitomizes what you want out of life…what you would like to accomplish by the time you die. It’s also a great way of determining if something is worth your time. If it doesn’t meet your mission statement, then you can easily say…No, I shouldn’t be doing this.

As with most things in life…your mission statement will most likely be a work in progress. It may alter as you grow older and change. But no matter what stage of life you are in, self reflection is never a bad thing! Simply taking an hour of my day to think about my own mission statement has provided me with clarity, direction, and motivation!