Developing a Blueprint for Life
From the CEO of Intel, Pat Gelsinger (The Juggling Act)
I am reading this book called, The Juggling Act by Pat Gelsinger, the CEO of Intel. I've just been fascinated by his insights and history based on his past learnings of being able to juggle his faith, his family, and his work as the CEO of one of the largest technology companies in the world (Intel is valued in April 2021 at $250 billion).
Pat Gelsinger at age 32, became the youngest VP in Intel’s history. He was then named Intel’s first-ever CTO in his early 40s, left to be the CEO of VMWare in 2021, and then came back in February of 2021 to become CEO of Intel. Not to mention he got married and started a family in college.
Pat was no stranger to this concept of juggling. He wrote this book to share his time-tested wisdom to keep life in perspective.
There is one portion of the book that really stuck out to me, and I want to share that with you all today: Building a life mission statement.
He calls this "Developing a Blueprint for Life."
Pat brings up this question regarding planning:
Why do we plan and prepare for things like a vacation (itinerary, tickets, reservations, asking friends for assistance)?
If given a big assignment, why do we take so long to plan everything in detail (budget, timeline, resource plans)?
Why do we spend so much time planning in other areas, while ignoring the plans around our most critical assets and the most limited resources we have: our gifts and our time.
Do you have a destination in mind for your life? Do you have a strategy for how you are going to get there? How do you know when you've hit a critical milestone or when you have fallen off course? What do you want to accomplish with the rest of your life?
Building a blueprint for life or personal life mission statement seems simple and easy, but is quite the arduous task.
"You need to think deeply about who you are who you want to be and what you want to accomplish with your life.
It isn't something you just jot down on a napkin over lunch.”
Pat encourages those reading to go on a period of soul searching. He says, “it wouldn't be giving the task justice to try and get it finished over a weekend. Plan on dwelling on your goals for a while, and when you're finished, you'll have something useful for many years to come.”
Pat Gelsinger's Life Mission Statement
“I've seen this be significant not only in my life but in the lives of others who I've worked with over the years in drafting their personal mission statements as well.
With that in mind, I offer up below an excerpted version of my personal mission statement as an example you might find helpful in crafting your own.
I'd like to make clear that this is my mission statement. This is a statement of who I am striving to be and what I want to accomplish. I'm still far from being this person and have a lot of work to do to complete a number of the items listed. This isn't a statement of what I've done but of what I aspire to become. This isn't a picture of who I am but of what I believe God has created me to become."
MISSION:
I will be a Christian husband, family man, and businessman. I will use every resource God provides me to carry out his work on earth as set forth below.
VALUES:
The things I will stand for, my values I will be recognized for. I will:
Work hard in all that I do.
Give my best effort in every task.
Be open to the direction of the Holy Spirit wherever that may lead.
Enthusiastically approach new challenges and all else I do.
Live by Christian principles. In all things, I will try to make Christ's ethics and morals my own.
Be open, honest, and generous.
Be careful with my words and actions.
Seek the counsel of others frequently and thoughtfully.
Never be satisfied with the status quo. I will be an agent of change.
Seek to improve and grow those around and beneath me and work and all other areas.
Not seek my own glory. I will seek to honor God and have praise be given to those around me.
Never take things too seriously but have a great time in everything, continually enjoying God's blessings.
GOALS:
The things I will accomplish, my goals. I will:
Make my marriage an example of that laid out in the scriptures. I will be a one-woman man seeking the growth of my wife. I will assist her in the duties of our household, date her regularly, and cherish her always.
Encourage all four of my children to make personal commitments of faith, publicly demonstrating their new life through baptism. Play an active role in leading them into Christian maturity.
Assist in bringing over 100 people to Christ or to a much greater degree of Christian maturity.
Write a book explaining the things God has taught me throughout my life for my children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.
Generate substantial wealth for my employer.
Become president of Intel Corporation. I will do so while maintaining my values and ethics.
Be an elder of the congregation.
Give an increasing proportion of all I earn to charity, church missions, and other Christian organizations.
Provide financially for my wife, children, and grandchildren.
Spending quality and quantity time with my children while they are young. On average, I will dedicate 10 hours per week to personal time with them.
Visit over 50 foreign countries to develop a broad worldview and a passion for all of God's creation.
Assist other Christians to achieve success in their profession and careers.
Continually be in the word of God. I will be in the word on a daily basis. I will read the Bible through at least twice each year.
Memorize scripture. I will add to my repertoire at least 10 new versus each year.
Continue to read. I will read at least five significant books each year.
Continue to learn. I will pick up at least one new topic, sport, field, or craft per year.
Continue to teach. I will teach at least one class each year.
Become fluent in at least one additional language.
Fast one day per week for the spiritual health and protection of my family and children.
Exercise regularly at least three times per week.
Lead weekly Bible study.
from pages 75-76 of the Juggling Act
Every year, Pat goes back to his goals and grades and assesses how he's doing with them.
Another thing is that it provides a framework for decision-making. When a life decision needs to be made, he says to just refer back to your statement, values, and goals.
(Example: No, that's not on my list of goals. No, I don't want to spend time on that; that’s not consistent with what I am and who I want to be.)
A few more notes:
As you build your draft, leave it for a while and come back to it and refine it (3 or more times)
After you have a draft you like, ask your spouse to read it ask if this is the kind of person he or she thought they married and hopes you will become.
Have a small number of trusted friends and mentors read your mission statement and ask if these goals are consistent with your character and personality.
As seasons change and time passes, revisions may need to be made. Pat talks about exactly this as his family developed and his children moved out.
Make a document that lasts 10-20 years and at the end of that period still has you striving to be better.
If this interested you, watch this video below ⬇.
It’s better than anything we could’ve written.