Personal Constitution Builder
Document Actions
Stress Management Course Files
Creating your own Path
(also known as your mission statement, constitution, or governing
values)
In order to complete this activity, you'll need to read chapter 9 on values in your text.
Based on the information in this chapter, you are going to follow the steps through to complete your own mission/value statement (your personal constitution). This process, if you do it appropriately, should take more than just a few minutes to complete. You will be referring to the chapter to do this activity.
Do all of your work using your word processor (Be sure to save your work frequently). It may even be better to take some scratch paper and do this process in a place where you can think deeply about this information. I suggest that you might even consider going somewhere in nature to work through this, somewhere you can be alone, where you can ponder and meditate, perhaps even bring your wisdom literature (scriptures and other books that are most meaningful to you) with you to inspire you as you do this.
Follow these steps as they are outlined on pages 155-158 of your text:
-
Determine your highest values. Follow the instructions in Step 1 - Identify Your Values of "Creating Your Personal Constitution" section of the reading (found on page 155). Use Activity 1 - the list of instrumental and terminal values AND Activity 2 - Your funeral to decide what things are most important to you. In no particular order, write them all down ... as many as are really yours.
-
Prioritize your values - follow the instructions in Step 2.
-
Write a clarifying statement for each of your values according the directions in Step 3. There are 3 key components to your clarifying statements. Be sure to follow them for each value you have chosen as your own.
-
After you have done this, write a brief statement of your experience going through this process, any insights you gained about yourself, and how you feel this might affect you in your life.
Once you have gone through each of these steps, type your finished product (#3 above) and your thoughts about this (#4 above) on your word processor (you will not turn in #1 or #2 above).
To clarify, your final product will be your list of values with clarifying statements (#3) and your feelings about this process (#4).
