You guys like these assignments, right? Beyond Blue reader Margaret says she does, so I let her speak for the rest of you. Feel free to ignore these, of course.
However, this one has been really helpful for me. Earlier this year I tutored a student (at the Naval Academy) who had been given an assignment to write his life mission statement. This is a one-sentence personal mission statement that incorporates your passion and talents (do what?), your audience (to whom?), and values (in what way?). You can’t cheat and go over one period. You CAN use lots of “ands” and “buts” and “whiles,” but (see there I go) all your verbs and clauses have to be part of one sentence.
I was moved by my student’s statement, which was this:

My life mission statement is to help the underprivileged and unhappy obtain better lives for themselves and their families by identifying problems and working tirelessly and selflessly to achieve solutions no matter how difficult the task.

Wow. And he’s only like 18 or 19. Think of what he will accomplish in his life with a solid base like that.
Mine was this:

I want to be an instrument of God’s love and peace to everyone I meet in this world, and I wish to provide hope to those weighted down by mental illness.

I think you’ll really get a lot out of this exercise. Because once you know what you truly want and what you are really about, you can move in the right direction. Now I’m starting to sound like a cheesy motivational speaker, SO I think I should stay away from memorial services for awhile AND stop reading the obituaries.