Make it your mission
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What values do you live by? How do you make decisions? Do you know your why? Who are you really?….. These are all good questions, and I may have a way to help you focus in on an answer… Have you ever thought about creating a personal mission statement? Start here first to discover your why… then continue on with the rest!
Here are the benefits to doing so. The website www.doanwinkel.com has some great info on making a mission statement. They say,
“One of the most powerful methods to cultivate the passion of vision is to create and live by a mission statement, philosophy, or creed. Such statements capture what you want to be and do—what qualities you want to develop, what you want to accomplish, and what contributions you want to make. Clarity on these issues is critical because it affects everything else—the goals you set, the decisions you make, the paradigms you hold, and the ways you spend your time. A personal mission statement based on correct principles becomes a standard for an individual. It becomes a personal constitution, the basis for making life-directing decisions and daily decisions in the midst of the circumstances and emotions that affect your life.”
Wow, do you want to live this way? I sure do. Have clarity, know my decisions, know who I am…
An empowering Mission Statement…
- Represents the deepest and best within you. It comes out of a solid connection with your deep inner life.
- Is the fulfillment of your own unique gifts. It is the expression of your unique capacity to contribute.
- Addresses and integrates the four fundamental human needs and capacities in the physical, social/emotional, mental, and spiritual dimensions.
- Deals with all of the significant roles in your life. It represents a lifetime balance of the personal, family, work, and community roles you fill.
- Is written to inspire you, nor to impress anyone else. It communicates to you and inspires you on the most essential level.
So how do you create one? Go through these simple steps and you can come up with your mission statement. Now missions statements can change and be reassessed. They don’t have to stay the same forever. So don’t think you have to create one that is going to be so perfect it never changes, just give it a try…
How to make your personal mission statement
- Make a list of the things that you love to do. For example, “I am passionate about…” (writing, teaching, exploring, making a contribution to the world…)
Make a list of all of your personal and professional talents, aptitudes, and skills — even those you may take for granted, like being a good friend or organizing well. Circle the skills you enjoy or find fulfilling.
- Examine the lives of others. Think of a person in history or in your life that you admire. What do you admire about this person? List the qualities
- Then write down the qualities and values that best represent your character in a positive way, beginning with “I am…” (honest, thoughtful, giving, tenacious, creative, funny…)
- Define the type of person you want to become. You can use the phrase, “As an ideal _____(spouse, friend, parent, worker, etc) I want to…” List qualities that you wish you had more of. Examples might be patience, leadership, open-mindedness, empathy, etc.
- What is your impact? If you were to do one thing in your professional life that would have the most positive impact, what would it be? Same for personal life?
- Consider your legacy. Determine your life roles and write down how you want to be described in each of these roles. How would you like to be remembered?
- Determine a purpose. Write down a purpose for each of these four fundamental elements: physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. What is the way you want to express yourself.
See yourself as CEO of each of these four areas. For your physical life, your purpose might be to treat your body as sacred by practicing fitness, healthy eating, daily affection, and pleasurable physical experiences. Your purpose for your mental life might be to become a life-long learner by expanding your skills, problem solving, and challenging yourself.
- Review all of your answers to the above and combine it into one emotionally charged, purposeful statement that defines and captures the essence of who you are.
All info from stephencovey.com, huffingtonpost.com, doanwinkel.com, and http://wvde.state.wv.us, and http://literacy.kent.edu/Oasis/Leadership/mission.htm.
Post your mission statements here when you are done!
