“I will always be creative, curious, and contribute things of value to other people – and they will be invited to share in my wonder. I will use my gifts of curiosity, wisdom, creativity, and encouragement to build platforms that will heal and influence people. Those around me will feel genuinely valued and supported in accomplishing their passions and goals. I will not try to fit myself into a niche, but rather, I will cast aside fear and create something out of who I really am – out of genuine passion. My family will take priority above all the other responsibilities of life and will never feel that I am absent or unavailable.”
That is my personal life mission statement. A little over a week ago, I wrote a post about the importance of knowing who we are and what we have to offer to the world. Knowing this is the key to living a satisfying life and making an impact on the people around us. One helpful way to do this is to write a personal mission statement. Businesses and organizations almost always do this to show potential clients what the business has to offer, screen new employees to make sure they pick the right people to accomplish company goals, and keep the business on the right track when making important decisions. It’s no easy task, but there are questions you can ask yourself to get started.
Personal:
- When have I felt most successful and satisfied in life?
- When did I feel dissatisfied? Why?
- What can’t I stop doing no matter what?
- What are my core values?
Professional:
- What have I liked about my past and current jobs?
- What did I dislike? Why?
- What would I want my employer to say about me?
- In my field of experience, what would I like to change?
Relational:
- What people are most important to me?
- What do I want to contribute to them?
- What would I regret not accomplishing in their lives?
You can use the answers to these questions to write down a mission statement about what is important to you, why it is important, and how you will apply that to the people you want to influence.
If you still aren’t quite sure how to actually write this all down, head over to Franklin Covey. They have some great sample mission statements and a survey to help you create your own. The survey shouldn’t take you more than 10-15 minutes. At the end, you will have a personal statement you can use to keep yourself on track with what is most important to you. I might recommend editing the resulting statement a little bit, but it’s a very helpful resource.
Leave a comment with your personal mission statement. We’d love to know who you are and what you’re about. Don’t forget to share this article with others who need it.
Jim Rogers 