Writing Your Personal Mission Statement
By Leanne Crain
You have likely encountered business mission statements countless times in the past. Some of these are less than inspiring, yet some consistently motivate the management and staff within a company to work towards a common focus. Mission statements, if used correctly, can provide a yardstick of sorts to compare all questions against.
The same is true with a personal mission statement. A personal mission statement will allow you to write out who you are, what you value, and where you want to go. This can be a powerful tool when you are forced to make a choice in your life. You will be able to ask yourself “does this follow my mission statement?” “will this get me closer, or further away from my values?”. Think of it like a candle in the window that will guide you home in dark times, a code of ethics that you will live your life by.
One of the key elements you will need to remember about your mission statement is that it needs to fuel your passion. If there isn’t parts of it that keep you up at night, dreaming of the endless possibilities, than something is wrong.
Let’s get started! (but take your time) First, think of someone influential in your life. What values do they follow that you would like to follow? What qualities do they have that you admire? Write all these down. Now go back and read it over – which of these things would YOU like to have? What would you like to be admired for?
The next step is imagining the “ideal you” in the future. What will you be like? What will your friends say about you? What would your obituary read? You need to envision all that you can become, and who you want to be.
When you think about your ideal self, write down who you are. What values or qualities does your ideal self have that you might need to work on? How are you going to get there? How will you measure success?
Once you get the ideas flowing, start writing them down. Write out every thought that comes into your head as you reflect on the questions above. When you are satisfied with your thoughts, go back and weave them together into a mission statement that is just for you.
You want your personal mission statement to be clear and concise. It is not set in stone, you can adjust it as you go along. Every personal mission statement is unique. Some will be a few sentences long, and some will be several pages. Neither is right nor wrong, as long as you write it from the heart, and so that it truly reflects you.
Leanne Crain is a writer for www.gettingtosomeday.com
