The Power of a Personal Mission Statement
Your mission statement tells the world who you are and what you hope to do with your life. It helps you focus throughout your life on what you feel your purpose is.
Consider a couple of examples of a personal mission statement
A working parent’s mission statement: “I want to be the best parent I can be and still excel in my sales career. My hope is to eventually become involved in a charity foundation that helps other people live safer, more secure, and fulfilling lives.”
A counselor’s mission statement: “My purpose on earth is to assist others in resolving their life struggles and moving on to live their best life possible. Also, taking in and spreading knowledge through a variety of media such as speaking, writing, and teaching are important for me to live a life that truly matters. I want to experience what it’s like to love and be loved deeply.”
Creating your mission statement will enrich your life in many ways!
The process will help you clarify your hopes and dreams and discover what is most important to you. Then, you can create goals that support your mission and move your life toward fulfilling your purpose. And working towards those goals will become a joy in itself!
This 6-step process will help you formulate your own personal mission statement:
- Reflect on your life goals. Describe your top four or five wishes for your entire life. Those are your life goals.
- Identify what you want to learn. Do you require more knowledge to work toward achieving your life goals? If so, you’ll want to include something about continuous learning or education in your statement.
- Think in the short-term. What is it you wish to work on over the next decade or so? Maybe it’s settling into a new community and establishing yourself as an expert in yoga. Perhaps it’s getting yourself through college and finding work that fulfills you.
- Ponder the long-term — throughout your life span. What do you want to be doing 30 or 40 years from now?
- Consider elderly people in your life that you respect, admire, or consider as your mentors. How are they making a difference in their lives as they age?
- As you mature, you’ll accumulate a lot of life knowledge, experience, and expertise in your field. How could you use it when you’re 60, 70, or even 80 years old? How would you like to use your knowledge and personal “gifts” for others?
- How do you want your journey to unfold?
- Ask yourself, “What do I hope to accomplish before I die?” What would you like to be known for? How do you want others to remember you after you’ve passed on?
- Use your own words. For example, you might say, “I want to help as many people as I can as a social worker in a large city.” Or “My main goals in life are to learn as much as I can about staying in shape and remaining in excellent health, and to help others learn to stay in good health, too.” Such specifics can be included in your statement.
Writing your personal mission statement not only gives your life focus, but it also provides meaning, purpose, and incentive for you to do everything possible to live your best life.
Create your personal mission statement today. You have a lot of living to do!
