to help others, one by the needs of one’s own ego, but it’s important to understand both if they are both at play.

Brainstorm your aptitudes: what do you think you are good at? What do you really enjoy doing? What were you doing the last time you felt “good-tired” instead of just “tired-tired”?

Lastly (and here’s where we return to death for a moment): what do you want to be known for? Sometimes, this is phrased as your “legacy”, which definitely implies you have died but never mind that for a moment– what would you want your colleagues, friends and family to say about you?

Now the hard part: much like deciding what your thesis topic is going to be, you now have to take the results of this exercise and turn it into a specific articulation of your intent. It helps to be as succinct as possible, but it’s okay if your mission is a couple different statements that complement each other. Think 1-3 sentences, not a page. Sometimes phrasing can help: I personally found it too intimidating to write those sentences with “My mission is...” so instead, mine start with “I want to...” Phrase it however works 