Personal Mission Statement
What is a Personal Mission Statement?
Personal mission statement is a concise statement about your life purposes, principles and beliefs. More specifically, it tells what is the meaning of your life; what is important to you; and what do you want to do. By Steven Covey in First Thing First,
“(Personal mission statement is) connecting with your own unique purpose and the profound satisfaction that comes from fulfilling it.”
It is similar to corporate mission statements, which state the corporate’s enduring purpose and direction, explain reasons for being, and provide guidelines to their employees.
How to Write a Personal Mission Statement?
- Step 1: Identify four or five examples of your past successes from work, community, home, etc. Find the common key factors among your successes.
- Step 2: Brainstorm your core values and shorten the list into five or six items. Find the most important one.
- Step 3: Identify the ways you could contribute or make a difference for your family and friends, your company and community, and the world.
- Step 4: Set your short-term (=<3 years) and long-term (> 3 years) goals, according to your priorities.
- Step 5: Write your mission statement, after obtaining a better understanding of yourself based on the first four steps.
Some Examples of Personal Mission
By Karl Martino,
To live my life as an expression of the principals I believe in:
People shine when given the chance to create, express and grow. Empower.
People feel the need to be understood, just as, or even more strongly then the need to be loved. Listen.
People don’t need more opinions, we already drown in data. People need clarity. Drill down.
People learn from example, not only from words. Exemplify.
People are attracted to honesty and have bullshit detectors. Be true.
People need new experiences to expand their knowledge of reality. Adventure.
People can learn from their mistakes. Recognize, don’t fear failure.
People search for simple solutions to problems when they are rarely simple. Dig.
People shine when they believe they can make a lasting impact, this may be the core of everything we do. Inspire.
People and companies are driven by visions, not ideologies. Lead.
Ignorance is fear of the truth. Truth is more important than pride. Learn.
A life without passion is a life not lived. Live.
Faith is the cure to doubt. Have Faith.
When you forgive, you are forgiven. Forgive.
Love is stronger than death. Love.
I am a loyal friend. I place a high value on true friendship and will do almost anything for my friends.
I’m a problem-solver. I enjoy making people happy by solving their problems, but need to remember that some people want to solve their own problems.
I am an environmentalist and a forester. I support and participate in protecting our fragile ecosystem — including certification of our forest as part of the American Tree Farm System.
I am an educator. I truly believe my calling in life is a teacher/counselor/adviser. I enjoy the inner satisfaction that comes with helping people learn — in whatever context that it happens. My current buzzword for this concept: learner empowerment.
I am a visonary dreamer. I believe nothing is impossible. I believe if we can picture something in our minds, we should be able to accomplish it. Yet, I’m also a realist and believe not all things are possible at all times.
I am a Webmaster, a publisher of an e-zine, an email fanatic. I believe my Web activities are simply an extension of my calling as an educator, helping people learn to find career happiness and college (and life) success.
I am a fighter. I believe in sticking up for issues and people I believe in and for fighting for what is right.
I am a dedicated and loving family member. Family is important to me.
I am a writer. Not necessarily a great writer, but I believe in the power and importance of the written word.
I am a liberal in the true meaning of the word — not the Republican slant on it. I am an open-minded and progressive thinker.
I continually strive to better myself in all areas.
My Own Personal Mission Statement v1.o
I believe my life is a journey. The best way to explore it is to experience it. To live my life as a full experience, I’m following the principals below:
- I devote myself to providing simple solutions to complex problems, making things efficient, and finding interesting conclusions. I enjoy solving challenge problems alone or together with others. I also enjoy the inner satisfaction that comes with sharing my opinions or conclusions, and helping others succeed.
- Be honest to myself. Truth is more important than pride. Learn from strengths in others. Be humble. Keep my attitude of gratitude, positive thinking, and passion.
- Taking adventures makes my life journey more interesting. I define new experiences and self improvement as my adventures. New experiences expand my knowledge of reality. Self improvement through learning and deep thinking, expands the inner side of myself and my personality.
- People feel the need to be understood, just as, or even more strongly than the need to be loved. I want to be understanding and trustable to my family and friends.
2013.06.11
Reference:
The Five-Step Plan for Creating Personal Mission Statements
Karl Martino’s Personal Mission Statement
Frank Lloyd Wright’s 10-Point Manifesto for His Apprentices
Google – Ten things we know to be true