Personal Mission Statement

 

The following exercises in Part I provide us with feedback on our lifestyles, values, achievements, and other sources of satisfaction in preparation for writing our personal mission statements. Part II builds on that feedback to help you articulate your statement of purpose.

A personal mission statement addresses three questions:

1) What is my life about?

2) What do I stand for?

3) What action am I taking to live what my life is about and what I stand for?

A useful mission statement should include two pieces: what you wish to accomplish and contribute, and who you want to be - the character strengths and qualities you wish to develop.

Part I

A. Describe your ideal day. As mentioned in class, assume that you have enough money to live comfortably, a safe place to live, and enough to eat.  This is not about being practical (winning the lottery), It is designed to include as many sides of you and of your enthusiasms as possible: creative, competent, artistic, introverted, extraverted, athletic, playful, nurturing, contemplative, etc.

Consider: If you write about spending the day with your friends and cruising in a car -- you are actually saying that friendship and freedom are the things you value....

B. Imagine yourself 132 years old and surrounded by your descendants and/or those descendants of your friends. You are in a warm and relaxed atmosphere (such as around a fireplace). What would you say to them is important in life? This is designed to access the values and principles that guide your life.

C. Imagine that it is your 35th or 50th birthday (or another milestone in your life). You have been asked by national print media to write a press release about your achievements. Consider what you would want your family, friends, co-workers in your profession and in your community to say about you. What difference would you like to have made in their lives? How do you want to be remembered? This is designed to inventory your actions and accomplishments in all areas of your life.

Part II

Review your notes for these three exercises. With those responses in mind, reflect on questions 1, 2, and 3 above. Then write a rough draft (a page of any length) of your mission statement. Remember that it should describe what you want to do and who you want to be. This is not a job description. Carry it with you, post copies in visible places at home and work, and revise and evaluate. Be patient with yourself. The process is as important as the outcome. After a few weeks, write another draft. Ask yourself if your statement was based on proven principles that you believe in, if you feel direction, motivation and inspiration when you read it. Over time, reviewing and evaluating will keep you abreast of your own development.

Avoid the word "You"  references to drugs, alcohol, and other illegal activities are not appropriate for formal English writing.

Turn in the rough draft A, B, and C  with the final mission statement.

 

 

GUIDE:

Sample Personal Mission Statement Development

1. Past success:

  1. developed new product features for stagnant product
  2. part of team that developed new positioning statement for product
  3. helped child’s school with fundraiser that was wildly successful
  4. increased turnout for the opening of a new local theater company

Themes: Successes all relate to creative problem solving and execution of a solution.

2. Core values:

  • Hard-working
  • Industrious
  • Creativity
  • Problem-Solving
  • Decision-maker
  • Friendly
  • Outgoing
  • Positive
  • Family-oriented
  • Honest
  • Intelligent
  • Compassionate
  • Spiritual
  • Analytical
  • Passionate
  • Contemplative

Most important values:

  • Problem-Solving
  • Creativity
  • Analytical
  • Compassionate
  • Decision-maker
  • Positive

Most important value:

  • Creativity

3. Identify Contributions:

  • the world in general: develop products and services that help people achieve what they want in life. To have a lasting impact on the way people live their lives.
  • my family: to be a leader in terms of personal outlook, compassion for others, and maintaining an ethical code; to be a good mother and a loving wife; to leave the world a better place for my children and their children.
  • my employer or future employers: to lead by example and demonstrate how innovative and problem-solving products can be both successful in terms of solving a problem and successful in terms of profitability and revenue generation for the organization.
  • my friends: to always have a hand held out for my friends; for them to know they can always come to me with any problem.
  • my community: to use my talents in such a way as to give back to my community.

4. Identify Goals:

Short-term: To continue my career with a progressive employer that allows me to use my skills, talent, and values to achieve success for the firm.

Long-term: To develop other outlets for my talents and develop a longer-term plan for diversifying my life and achieving both professional and personal success.

5. Mission Statement:

To live life completely, honestly, and compassionately, with a healthy dose of realism mixed with the imagination and dreams that all things are possible if one sets their mind to finding an answer.