Talk with your child about people who do work that’s similar to what your child said his or her mission was in the last exercise. Are there careers that are close in nature? Volunteer opportunities?

Do some research online and see if you can find people who are writing about what your child is interested in, then reach out to as many as possible via email. If your child is too young to type, type the note for them.


A sample email might look something like this:

Dear XX:

My name is XX. I’m X years old and have decided to make XX my personal mission. When my mom/dad and I Googled this area online, your name and work appeared in the search results and I was hoping you could tell me a little bit more about how you got started doing the work you do. What do you like about it? What do you find hardest about it?

I’d like to try to accomplish XX this year. Can you give me any advice for how you would go about something like this? Are there any other people who you think could help guide me in my mission?

Thank you so much for your time,
Name


While it takes a lot of courage to send the emails off to people you don’t know, your child will gain confidence in the power of networking when s/he starts to receive email replies…and learn how willing people of “like minds” are to help guide another along their chosen path.

Make it Your Mission! Part 2