One of the greatest achievements you can give yourself is to write a personal mission statement. Why? Because when you’re faced with a difficult choice to make, choosing the option that fits with your purpose in life will be easier if you have a mission statement to reference. Also, your mission statement will (should) motivate you. Allow me to explain further.
A mission statement describes your unique purpose in life. It summarizes the talents and qualities you have and want to develop, what you want to accomplish, and what contributions you desire to make.
What are you passionate about? What really excites you? What would make you jump out of bed in the morning knowing that if you didn’t show up it would make a huge difference in the cause?
Passion is so important when creating your mission statement. If you’re not passionate about your mission, it’s not really your mission. If it doesn’t speak to your soul and keep you awake at night thinking about the possibilities, you haven’t hit on the right thing yet.
While the specifics of how you fulfill your mission may come in stages, your mission will more than likely remain the same throughout your lifetime. Even though you play different roles during different phases of your life, one thing will always remain constant – your mission.
Having a personal mission statement helps you make daily decisions. When you have a choice to make, which option gets you closer to accomplishing your ultimate goal? Will it help you to fulfill your mission? Nothing, no action, is neutral; everything you do either helps you fulfill your mission and accomplish your goals, or moves you further away from them. When you make your decisions based on your personal mission statement, you never regret it.
Now, this doesn’t mean that you will never have to do something you don’t want to do. On the contrary. There are tasks and obligations that I must fulfill on a regular basis that I don’t particularly enjoy, but they get me closer to my ultimate goal, so I do them. Sometimes they are just in line with my values, and so I complete these tasks because they help with the overall picture of who I am or want to become.
5-Tips to writing your Personal Mission Statement:
- Identify for yourself where you have the greatest personal success. What makes you smile both on the outside and inside? Think about your professional work, community work, or even things you do at home. Make a list (write it down).
- Write down a list of attributes you know about yourself. The list should speak to your core values and beliefs. Once the list is complete, try to narrow your scope to focus on 3-5 attributes that fuel your passion.
- How do you see yourself having impact? Make a list of people (target audience) that you would like to have influence. Identify this through past experiences where your actions have touched the lives of others.
- Set some SMART goals that are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and timely. Again, write them down so that you see them in front of you.
- Start writing your mission statement based on your answers to Tip 1-4 and now having a better understanding of yourself.
For example, my mission is to motivate, educate, and inspire others to find the true greatness they deserve. I was not completely aware of my true mission until my late 30’s. Over the years, I have had different jobs and goals but now I have found my true passion and that passion is in line with my current professional role and my longterm goals.
I can remember my college professors calling me a natural speaker and motivator. However, It was a long time before I would understand what that really meant. At the time, I thought it meant I would some day be a teacher and some years after graduating from college, I soon became a teacher and keynote speaker at national and world conferences. My attitude and ability to explain things clearly were often called upon to help motivate my family, fellow friends, and colleagues. Even now as I continue my pursuit of education in the PhD program, my Professors have referred several of my classmates to me for motivation and guidance in the program.
If I had been aware of my purpose earlier in life, there are many paths I would have been spared. I won’t bore you with the details; let’s just say I’ve taken a few wrong turns but thank God I found my way. A mission statement would have prevented that, so the earlier in life you do this the better off you will be, but it’s never too late. Many young self-made millionaires credit their early financial success to a personal mission statement. So, I challenge you to start writing your Mission Statement!
© 2012, Nick Dillon. All rights reserved.
Nicholas Dillon has over 15 years of education, training, and coaching experience in the academic and corporate arena. He also has formative experience providing group counseling and serving as a mentor in the Milwaukee community.
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