This week's I've been browsing around looking for the best places in the blogosphere to find craft projects.

Craftzine blog features craft ideas and tutorials contributed by readers. I particularly love this one on what to do with plastic bags. I live in a developing country, where ecology isn't yet an issue to most people (aside from the marine life, that is). Whenever you buy anything, you are handed a plastic bag, even if you have your own bag and refuse one. I'll think I'll make myself a beach bag from this tutorial and try and pass on the idea.

Cut Out and Keep is a veritable treasure trove of funky modern crafts submitted by contributers in the indie crafting community. Many must sees and makes.

Whipup is a community of artists, crafters and makers sharing their passion for making stuff. Contributors are from all around the world and the diversity of craft projects is sheer amazing.

All About Jewellery Making is an independent blogger sharing her great craft tutorials on wire-wrapping, bead-weaving and other jewellery how tos.

You can find everything, but everything, you need to know and more about using wire in jewellery-making, including indepth tutorials with pictures at WigJig. This isn't really a blog, but a manufacturer's website, but the project intructions are too good not to pass on.

I wish you happy crafting!

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if you could just flick a switch and turn on your creativity? Sadly, at times, tapping into your creativity can feel like turning the tap to find that the water company has switched off the water again. The good news is, there are ways of encouraging creativity and one of these ways is through balancing your sacral chakra.

Chakra is the Sanskrit word for moving wheel; the chakras are vortexes of energy present in the ethereal body and in corresponding locations of the physical body. There are seven major chakras and they function as pathways for energy to be taken in.

The sacral chakra, sometimes called the spleen or navel chakra, is located in the lower abdomen, approximately two inches below the navel. It governs sexuality, self-worth and creativity and is also associated with desire, pleasure, emotional balance and the abundance that you allow into your life for the fulfillment of your desires.

If this chakra is functioning well, you will experience enriched creativity, enhanced emotional gratification and courage, sexual vitality and positive self-esteem. If this chakra is blocked, however, both sexual and creative frustration occurs. You may have difficulties tapping into your creativity. Or you may have brilliantly creative ideas, but problems with manifesting your projects. A blockage can also manifest physically with lower back pain, sciatica, problems of the reproductive system, lowered libido and urinary problems.

Luckily, there are many tools to help balance the chakras. I’ve listed some of the correspondences for the sacral chakra together with guidelines on how to use these tools to balance this chakra and hence enhance your creativity.

• Colour: Orange - Surround yourself with orange. Wear it, eat it (preferably in the form of food) or paint your studio or workspace with it. If you meditate, visualize orange around the area of this chakra.
• Music: sensual flowing music with passionate rhythms (think Marvin Gaye’s “Sexual Healing”) - Try belly dancing or just dance, using your hips. Gyrate, baby, gyrate!
• Gemstones: any orange stone (e.g. carnelian, orange jasper, fire opal, moonstone). If you can't find a gemstome, try a piece or bead of coloured glass. - You can wear these stones as jewellery or carry them in your pocket or purse.
• Essential oils: sandalwood, jasmine, ylang ylang, clary sage, bergamot, orange blossom. - Shower gels and other cosmetics sometimes have these aromatherapy oils already added. Burn oils in an oil burner. Combine 10 drops or use singly on a washcloth during your shower. (This is particularly effective as water is the element governed by the sacral chakra.). Put some drops on a handkerchief and sniff it when you need inspiration. Make yourself a massage oil by adding a few drops of essential oil to coconut oil.
  

Now you know what to do to get your creative juices flowing; go take an essential oil shower whilst eating a mango, come out and drape yourself in orange clothes and jewels and start swaying those hips to a cool groove.
Then, go create!

Whenever I need a little clarification in my life, I consult the runestones for guidance. As I love colours, I found the dull grey stones I had rather uninspiring and decided to create my own. This is a very simple craft project that can be done in under an hour.

You will need:

• glass cabochons
• gold outliner for glass paints (the kind that can be burnt in)

Step by step instructions:

1. wash and dry the glass cabochons
2. with the outliner, write a rune on each cabochon (list provided below)
3. burn in the oven at 150°C (or per instruction on the tube of outliner)

Voila! Your runes are ready for use. Find a little bag to store them in (if you're a crafty sewer, make your own). Print out or copy the interpretation guide below and you're all set.

Runes


How to draw Runes
Think about a situation in your life on which you'd like some insight. Then draw three Runes, one for the past, one for the suggested course of action in the present and one for what may evolve in the future if you take the course suggested by the second Rune. You can also draw only one Rune for insight into a situation or make up your own spread.

Rune Interpretations
FEHU: Possessions, Manifestation
You are invited to define the meaning of prosperity for yourself. Materially, this is a fortunate rune, if you don't abandon yourself to other people's definitions of success. What resources, inner and outer, do you need in order to thrive in your personal journey? Seize them at all cost, and discard the rest. This is Rune of RIGHT NOURISHMENT.
URUZ: Strength, Endurance
Pressures arise which tear away everything except your essential nature, revealing levels of instinctive strength and self-knowledge untapped in less stressful times. Psychic bedrock is struck; you must respond decisively from your core, or be wounded. This is the Rune of ENDURANCE.
THURISAZ: Force; Giant, Thorn
In the circumstances you now face, enormous destructive power, neither good nor evil, is available to you. Although dangerous, it can defend that which is dear to your heart. You can choose whether to release its devastating force--and incur your choice's responsibility. This is the Rune of BLIND FORCE.
ANSUZ: Signals, Omens
A message is being transmitted to you through omens and natural signs, perhaps through some human channel or oracle. If you're fettered by your unconscious wishes and fears, they may distort that message. This is the Rune of OMENS.
RAIDO: Wagon; Journey
A Rune of rhythm and order, Raido counsels strategy and persistence. A demanding journey, literal or metaphorical, lies before you. You must proceed step by step, aware that natural laws govern all motion and that no shortcut, however tempting, will do anything but lengthen the journey. This is the Rune of RIGHT ACTION.
KENAZ: Torch, Insight
Resourcefulness and practical inventiveness are essential if you are to devise a strategy to improve your present circumstances. There is no magic cure; creative thought, clear analysis, and pragmatic application of skill are necessary now. This is the Rune of INGENUITY.
GEBO: Partnership, Gift
Any partnership must be bound together through a mutual exchange of gifts. Perhaps the exchange is material, but it may be mystical, mental, or sexual. Perhaps it is a gift of trust. This is the Rune of THE RITUAL OF COMMITMENT.
WUNJO: Joy, Fulfillment
Knowledge and willpower now blossom into wisdom and illumination. You have matured spiritually, and unity is growing between your soul's inspiration and your daily life. Peace arises within you and is reflected in your relationship with the human family. This is the Rune of HARMONIOUS MERGING.
HAGALAZ: Hail; Disruption
Shock, too, is part of the great Pattern. Overwhelming events arise now, around you or within your unconscious, and demand radical responses. You must adjust your plans, perhaps change your course. Be wary of stubbornness; you cannot fight the Divine hand. Return to your spiritual center, let the dust settle, then refocus your will in the light of the new reality. This is the Rune of DISRUPTION.
NAUTHIZ: Need, Self-Preservation
Resistance within you may create your experience of resistance in the world. Where have you limited yourself? To what have you given so much power that it can cause you such pain? Claim the wisdom of patience and attend to what's needed now, or your hurt has no meaning. This is the Rune of the FORGING OF CHARACTER.
ISA: Ice
Progress is temporarily frozen. Take comfort in patience, stillness and caution. The blockage is not inside you but around you. Do not, however, relax your concentration; remain alert enough to detect the early signs of thaw. This is the Rune of WAITING.
JERA: Harvest, Reaping
You are in a cycle of events whose seasons must all be respected: sowing, cultivation and harvest. Well-planned right action, constancy and patience yield the best results and the most gentle evolution. This is the Rune of FRUITION.
EIHWAZ: Defense, Striving
Although you are facing a trial, you are protected. The skill you most need lies in trusting that protection. Unforeseeable power and wisdom await you if you avoid panic or precipitous overreactions. Be strong, and judiciously bold, and no harm should come to you. This is the Rune of TESTING.
PERTHRO: Fate, Secrets
Although your circumstances may seem random, a group patterning beyond your comprehension is active in your life. You cannot grasp the flow of events because they involve the "Nornir"--the three Fates of past, present, and future--and because other lots than your own are being cast. This is the Rune of the WEB OF FATE.
ALGIZ: Watchfulness, Protection
Alertness, not defensiveness, is the best shelter. Be wary; watch for omens, which are plentiful now. Be fluid; avoid predictability and routine. Like the Elk, watch ceaselessly for rustles in the sedge grass. Danger seldom arrives unheralded. This is the Rune of WATCHFULNESS.
SOWULU: Sunlight; Life Force
Primal vitality is the issue now. The spark of life within you must be fanned and renewed. What feeds your spirit and your Self? What gives you joy and energy? Turn to those sources now, and restore your elemental enthusiasm for living. This is the Rune of WHOLENESS.
TIWAZ: Warrior, Justice
Conflict arises now, but the first battle you must face is within. Your primary enemy is your failure to face squarely your own trepidations, attachments and personal history. Only with that inner battle won can you see clearly what constitutes right action and justice in the outer battle. There, do not fear your own ferocity. This is the Rune of the WARRIOR.
BERKANA: Growth, Goddess.
In each person, the adolescent must die to make way for the adult. Drawing this rune indicates that a rite of passage is at hand. Something within you must be sacrificed to allow the birth or creation of the new. Mysteriously, mourning and joy now coincide. This is the Rune of TRANSITION.
EHWAZ: Movement, Partnership
As the leaping horseman must trust the mount, you too must now share your fate with some other force or person, leaping together across the abyss in a spirit of trusting self-abandonment. You and another power or entity face a common dilemma, resolvable only through the fusion of your alien natures and skills. This is the Rune of EFFECTIVE COOPERATION.
MANNAZ: Individuation, Humanity
Use intelligence, memory and reflection to integrate your inner self with its outer expression. Inauthenticity or falseness in your social position may interfere with your journey and that of others. The question, "What should I do?" is always rooted in the deeper question, "Who am I?" This is the Rune of INDIVIDUATION.
LAGUZ: Water, Lake, The Sea
The watery mysteries of death and rebirth surround you now. Something is dying, being ferried across dark primal waters. Release it. Something is quickening deep in the psychic womb of your soul, awaiting baptism. Flow now, surrendering old, burned-out patterns of living, all the while trusting the new birth even though it is still beyond comprehension. This is the Rune of RADICAL RELEASE.
INGWAZ: Fertility, Beginnings
You have reached the end of one cycle and the beginning of another. Complete what is past to make room for what's to come, then prepare a safe cocoon for your own gestation. This is the Rune of REBIRTH.
OTHILA: Retreat, Roots
Charging headlong into impossibility is foolish. Circumstances now arise in which strategic withdrawal and timely assessment of your inner resources are the right actions. Rely now on your "fastnesses:" friends, family, power places, familiar spiritual practice. This is the Rune of REGROUPING.
DAGAZ: Daylight, Dawn
Night shifts into day; for a moment, opposites are reconciled, the paradox of spirit and flesh transcended. One liminal instant arises in which, if radical faith and intense willpower are fused, a leap can be taken which will forever alter the Pattern of your life. Be alert; recognize this moment, and seize it. This is the Rune of BREAKTHROUGH.

There's not much purpose in just knowing your life purpose; you must live it. (In a way, it's worse knowing your mission in life and not doing anything about it. It makes you feel like a real unprincipled louse. I've been there...)

I have found the only way to really live my life purpose is to surrender myself totally to my Higher Self / God / The Universe. Mystical traditions refer to the need to die before being reborn and the way to do this is to surrender totally and put yourself in the hands of the Universe.

Yes, it's frightening and it DOES mean relinquishing control and trusting that everything will work out. Changes WILL happen in big ways and you WILL have to make sacrifices in your life. There is always an element of sacrifice in surrendering, but keep in mind that the things that are sacrificed are the things that are stopping you from living your life purpose. For instance, I was "moved" halfway around the world from Switzerland to the Seychelles. This "moving" seems to be a recurring theme in my life and each time I have to give up all my worldly possessions and lose daily contact with close friends and family.


Step one: Ask and ye shall receive
With an open heart surrender yourself to the Universe. Find a quiet time and ask for help. Say a prayer, shout it to the sea, announce your intention and readiness to surrender. Do it out loud. And do it with a trusting heart and faith.

Step two: The Universe is speaking: just listen
The Universe will respond immediately (well, sort of immediately). Don't expect a voice coming out of a burning bush. But then again, you might be lucky... Trust that you will be supported, go with the flow and look for your messages. These may come in the form of a book, something someone says, a sign on the road. Messages come in all shapes and sizes, often in a humourous manner. If you are open to receiving them, you will recognise them.

Step three: When opportunity knocks, take it
The Universe will also provide you with plenty of opportunities to live your life purpose. Take them. Going with the flow does not mean not acting. Surrender does not mean you will never do anything again. Wait for your cue and then ACT with focus and intent.

Step four: Practice makes perfect
It helps to state your intention to surrender every day. Surrendering is something to be practiced continually and in all areas of your life. For instance, I recite the Gayatri mantra every morning. It is a Sanskrit prayer and it's essence is "I will to will Thy will". Find some form of this prayer that is right for you and practice every day.

Step five: When you get off track, ask again
You may be more enlightened than me and never have to ask again. Most of us, though, do get off track from time to time. Our good intentions fly out the window, when "life" interferes. When I got to the Seychelles, I got sidetracked by going to the beach all the time. A life of leisurely sun-bathing and sipping gin tonics at sundown wasn't really part of my life purpose and things soon started going wrong. (Which is a message in itself!) I had to surrender again, rededicate myself to my life purpose. And I was given (yet) another chance. God is forgiving... Just go back to step one and start again.

You Are 81% Creative

You are an incredibly creative person. For you, there are no bounds or limits to your creativity. Your next creation could be something very great... Or at least very cool!

How Creative Are You?

Every Saturday, I'll be posting some of the arts and crafts I make during the week. (Just to prove I don't spend ALL my time in front of the computer.)

This week I made jewellery; some pieces are shown below. I found a whole lot of wonderful shell and coconut beads in the one and only craft supplies shop on the island, which is usually as empty as my bank account and was really inspired to create these "island-style" pieces of jewellery. I then spent hours trying to photograph my creations, with some success in the end. I had no idea it was so difficult to photograph jewellery.





Rolling on this wave of success, I decided to open a shop on Dawanda und upload all my new products for sale. Please don't feel inhibited to visit my shop and buy :-). Or just look; there are more pieces there. You'll find the shop link in the sidebar as well.

A couple of nights ago, my daughter came to me complaining that she couldn't fall asleep. This was no great surprise, as she had been busy chatting on msn two minutes before retiring and was still too buzzed to sleep. Now whilst I don't usually recommend going straight from the computer to bed, here's a tip in case you are too wired too sleep.

Kundaline yoga left nostril breathing is a very quick and effective way to wind down and get into sleep mode. This is because the left nostril is connected to the right hemisphere of the brain, which can activate the parasympathetic nervous system. The parasympathetic nervous system counteracts the stress effect, calming you down, slowing heart rate, cooling you down, increasing digestion, and so on. The right nostril is connected to the left hemisphere of the brain, which activates the sympathetic nervous system and is activated in times of stress. It causes the "flight or fight" response, and all the biological components of that including dilation of the pupils, increased temperature and sweating, increased heart rate, and so on. Not the state you want to be in when going to sleep.

Our breath naturally changes dominant nostrils approximately every 2-1/2 hours. You can tell which nostril is your dominate one at any time simply by blocking off one, then the other. The dominant one is easy to breathe through and the less dominate one feels like it is blocked. This alternation controls and regulates metabolism, temperature and many other physiological functions.

How to do it:
Use the thumb or index finger of the right hand to close the right nostril. Breathe long and deep for three minutes or until you fall asleep. You can do this sitting or lying down (getting into the horizontal position always helps me, though...). Lying on your right side will help open the left nostril. If the left nostril remains congested, try rubbing a tiny bit of Tiger Balm around the nostril and sinus area. (This "cheat" works within seconds.)

Many people who have insomnia don't have trouble going to sleep, instead they wake up in the middle of the night and can't get back to sleep. Again, breathing through the left nostril should do the trick.

I wish you deep sleep and great dreams.

Every Thursday I'll be sharing blogs I enjoy reading. Please visit; it really is worth it. This week I'll be concentrating on some personal growth blogs I enjoy visiting.

The first is Whole Living Today. Tania's blog is chock-a-block full of useful and interesting articles about personal growth, spirituality and much more. Very inspiring.

Another blog I just discovered and haven't finished browsing through yet is Gratitude Magic. This blog explores the magic of gratitude (obviously) and the Law of Attraction. Also hosts a wonderful project called (again obviously) The Gratitude Project.

Zen Habits covers all the stuff you need to know about life, the universe and everything. Learn how to enhance your spiritual life, your family life, the works, in a cool calm collected, (well, Zen-like) manner.

Another site that really impressed me was Zen Chill. I just love this guy's attitude to life and his very charming lighthearted yet deep way of presenting his views and insights.

A long time favourite of mine is Deepak Chopra's IntentBlog. This is a blog with many contributers covering topics from spirituality to politic to recipes. The debates taking place there are always intellectually and spiritually stimulating.

"I can't go on. I will go on." is a Samuel Becket quote that my mother has hanging in her kitchen. Now, I understand that this is supposed to be motivational and inspire one to perseverance (I think), but I've always found it somewhat defeatist. Isn't this how so many people are living their lives? Staying in the daily grind, justifying to themselves their need to stay in the mold because life is so difficult? These people think that life creates them instead of the other way around. I prefer to create my life.

The first thing to do on your way to a creative life is to make space in your life. Modern life is incredibly busy and tends to fill up our minds and free time. To be able to create, you need not only physical energy but emotional and mental energy as well. If your life is cluttered with bad relationships, work stress and trying to cope, there is no room for creativity and intuition.

So what is the solution? You need to declutter and simplify your life. It's a question of defining your priorities and redistributing your time. For instance, my most creative time is at night and my least productive during the morning, so at one time, I took on a half-day job that didn't require much input in order "to pay the bills". In this way, my creative energy was not used up during the day. Everybody has different priorities, but, if you want to make space for creativity, you will need to downsize and FREE UP TIME. Many people suggest that you schedule a certain time everyday for your creative activity, but I have found that this sheer doesn't work. If you limit your creative time to a schedule, you don't leave space for intuition to flow and this is vital for creativity. You need to make enough time for just "being" and going with the flow in your daily life. Suddenly, your intuition and creativity will soar!

I moved to the Seychelles, islands in the middle of the Indian Ocean, a couple of years ago. Living on a tropical island pretty much forces you to live the simple life. Everything is slower and time loses it's relevance. It's easy to get into the flow here. I do understand that it is more difficult in an urban environment, but it is possible.

So do yourself a favour and simplify your life. Cut out all the extras that eat up your emotional, mental and physical energy. Make time and space for creative simple being and your creativity will flourish in no time.

Shrine-making is definitely a beautiful way of expressing your spirituality through craft I love shrines of all kinds and have them all over my home. This portable prayer shrine is small and light enough to take on your travels as well. Place it on your hotel bedside table, on your office desk, on the conference table when you have to attend a boring meeting or anywhere else where you want to be reminded of the sacred.

You will need:

• thick cardboard (I took the side off a large cardboard box)
• Gesso or white acrylic paint
• paper napkins and /or handmade paper
• Modge podge or thinned white glue
• magazines
• embellishments (bits of ribbon, feathers, stickers, etc.)
• some kind of pen, alternatively cut out words from a magazine or print out a prayer
• clear varnish

Step by step instructions:

1. Cut a piece of cardboard to the size you want
2. Measure it into three pieces and, with a paper cutter and ruler, score two vertical lines as joints.
3. Prime both sides with Gesso or white acrylic paint.
4. Paint the other side with Modge Podge or white glue and cover with paper of your choice.
5. When dry, decorate the inside. You can use handmade paper, with a handwritten prayer and embellishments or alternatively collage a visual prayer.
6. Poke a hole through the middle of the right "spine" and attach a string by pulling it through and knotting it on the inside. You could also attach a bead to help keep it in place.
7. Varnish the shrine.
8. Close it and measure how much string you will need to wind around it once or twice. Cut off a couple of inches longer and attach a bead.

Set it up and enjoy!

P.S. For this portable shrine, I wrote a haiku:

always the mystery -
inspired by divine touch
my heart is blissful

coming soon

Some years ago I was suffering from fibromyalgia and general misery, when one day my back gave way and I was confined to the bed for three days. These three days turned out to be a blessing in disguise, as I was forced to take the time to rethink my life. I realized that I had been living off track for many years and SOMETHING HAD TO CHANGE. Lying in bed, dosed up on painkillers, I pondered on the meaning of life, the universe and everything. I remembered that the ultimate purpose of life is to feel joy (of the “my cup runneth over type”) and I wasn't experiencing much of that. "Why not?", I asked myself and came to the conclusion that it was because I wasn't following my individual life purpose. The logic behind this is: If you follow your bliss, you will experience deep happiness and thus fulfil your divine purpose. Joy being the ultimate purpose of life as mystics of most religions point out .

My creative energy surged, as it usually does after a period of enforced inactivity and, tapping into the recesses of my brain, where a lot of self-help knowledge was stored from different sources (can't remember all the wise people who contributed, but here's a general thanks), I developed the following method of finding your life purpose in under one hour. The method involves identifying your mission and vision and forming it into a concise statement to live by. If you then live by this, happiness will be yours. I can testify to this. Halleluiah!

Identify your mission
Your mission is your raison d'etre, the "Why am I here?" A mission statement covers your personal life, your work life, your social life and your spiritual life. It is the “what and who am I” statement.

Take ten minutes to chose three of actions from the following list that are what you enjoy doing most. I know, it's hard to pick only three, but it is possible.
accomplish, achieve, acquire, adopt, advance, affect, affirm, alleviate, amplify, appreciate, assist, associate, believe, brighten, build, call, cause, change, choose, claim, collect, combine, command, communicate, compel, compete, complete, compliment, compose, conceive, confirm, connect, consider, construct, continue, counsel, create, decide, defend, delight, deliver, demonstrate, design, devise, direct, discover, discuss, distribute, draft, dream, drive, educate, elect, embrace, encourage, endow, engage, enhance, enlighten, enlist, enliven, entertain, enthuse, evaluate, excite, expand, explore, express, extend, facilitate, finance, forgive, foster, further, gather, generate, give, grant, heal, hold, host, identify, illuminate, implement, improve, improvise, increase, influence, inspire, integrate, introduce, invent, involve, keep, know, labour, launch, lead, live, love, make, maintain, manifest, master, mature, maximise, measure, mediate, mold, motivate, move, navigate, negotiate, nurture, open, organize, originate, participate, perform, persuade, plan, play, possess, practice, praise, prepare, present, produce, progress, promote, provide, pursue, realise, receive, reclaim, reduce, refine, reflect, reform, relate, relax, release, rely, remember, renew, resonate, respect, restore, return, revise, sacrifice, safeguard, satisfy, save, sell, serve, share, speak, stand, summon, support, surrender, sustain, take, teach, touch, trade, transform, translate, travel, understand, unify, use, utilise, validate, value, venture, verbalise, volunteer, work, worship, write

Now take ten minutes to choose three values that are core to your being.
achievement, altruism, charity, cooperation, creativity, dignity, economic security, emotional well-being, equality, excellence, fame, faith, family, freedom, friendship, generosity, happiness, health, honesty, honour, hope, humility, independence, individuality, inner peace, integrity, joy, justice, kindness, knowledge, love, loyalty, nobility, pleasure, positive attitude, power, recognition, relationships, respect, safety, self-worth, service, simplicity, trust, truth, wealth, wholeness, wisdom

Take your three actions (and another ten minutes) and form them into sentences with your core values.
For example, my words are: communicate, inspire, create and joy, wisdom, transformation. The sentences I made are: I communicate wisdom. I inspire transformation. I create transformation. I inspire joy. I communicate about transformation. Or, all in one: I communicate, inspire and create joy, wisdom and transformation. Ultimately, I got to: My purpose is to creatively transform beings and objects and to inspire others to find joy and wisdom.
Play around with the sentences and see what feels right to you. You might need to consult a thesaurus to get the exact word you need for your statement. Ask yourself if this statement can be applied to every area of your life.
The sentence you feel most comfortable with and which resonates to the core of your being is your mission statement.

Identify your vision
Your vision statement is the unique way in which you accomplish your purpose. It states how and in what areas you carry out your mission.

Take ten minutes to choose three causes / fields from the following list that you care most about.
addiction, environment, family issues, education, health care, elderly, children, the poor, the homeless, immigration, energy, agriculture, the justice system, veterans, nutrition, law, politics, government, news, journalism, performing arts, visual arts, literature, crafts, gender issues, music, design, sports, food, computers, printing, publishing, religion, community, reproductive issues, science, women, gardening, media, youth, churches, spirituality, the disabled, public safety, consumer issues, human development, personal growth, infants, childcare, child safety, healthcare, tourism, defence, space exploration, animal rights, animal care, literacy, civil rights, counselling
I had to "cheat" by combining a couple of similar areas to get down to three.
There are many other issues in the world; if you find what you care about most is not listed, just add it to your list.

Take your mission statement (and yet another ten minutes) and combine it with your chosen fields and form it into a sentence.
For example, I chose publishing, arts and crafts, human development / spirituality and got to this statement. I accomplish my mission by communicating my ideas through writing, art and counselling others on their personal growth and spirituality.

Your mission and vision statements have to "ring right" to you. They must inspire and excite you. Play around until you get the wording exactly right for you and you alone. It is, after all, YOUR purpose and YOUR statement to "do or die" by.

As the philosopher Søren Kierkegaard wrote: "The thing is to understand myself, to see what God really wants me to do; the thing is to find a truth which is true for me, to find the idea for which I can live or die."