Personal Mission Statement

“Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as you ever can.”

– John Wesley

“Don’t Worry, Be Happy.” – Bobby McFerrin

Personal Mission Statement

• What you want to focus on• What you want to accomplish• Who you want to become• Focus energy, actions, behaviors and decisions

toward the things that are most important to you

Value

• “Connecting with your own unique purpose and the profound satisfaction that comes from fulfilling it.” (Steven Covey, First Things First)

• Pushes you to think deeply about your life, clarify the purpose of your life, and identify what is really important.

• Pushes you to clarify your deepest aspirations.

Value

Helps answer questions:• What do I want from my life?• What are my talents?• At the end of my life, what do I want to have

accomplished?

• Keep it simple, clear and brief (three to five sentences)

• Should touch upon what you want to focus on and who you want to become as a person (character), and specific actions that support this

• Should be worded positively• Think about how your actions and character affect

important relationships in your life

Personal Mission Statement Guidelines

Guidelines

• Create it as a guide for your day-to-day actions and decisions

• Make it emotional - passionate, inspiring, energizing• Can be time limited – one to three years; may change

over time

Examples

• “To…(what you want to achieve, do, become)…so that…(reasons why it is important). I will do this by…(specific behaviors or actions you can use to get there).”

• “I value…(choose one to three values)… because … (reasons why these values are important to you). Accordingly, I will…(what you can do to live by these values).”

Examples

• “To live each day with…(choose one to three values or principles)…so that…(what living by these values will give you). I will do this by…(specific behaviors you will use to live by these values).”

Step 1 - Identify Past Successes

Four or five examples where you had personal success in recent years (at work, in community, family, etc.)• Developed new product at work• Helped child’s school with fund-raiser• Increased turnout for the opening of a new local

theater company• Helped paint at my church• Increased amount of time I spent with my family

Step 2 – Identify Core ValuesList of attributes that identify who you are and what your priorities are:

• Connection• Determination• Dignity• Discipline• Equality• Empathy• Fairness• Family…

• Acceptance • Achievement• Balance• Beauty• Boldness• Caring• Collaboration• Comfort• Compassion

Identify Core Values

• Identify 10, then five• Identify most important three of the five

Step 3 – Identify Contributions

How could you make a difference:• World• Family• Work• Friends• Community

Identify Contributions

• World - Recycle• Family - Be a good mother/father, and husband/wife;

leave the world a better place for my children and their children

• Work - Lead by example; help make company profitable

• Friends - Always be ready to help• Community - Use talents to give back to community

Step 4 – Identify Goals

• What are your priorities?• Short-term goals • Long-term goals

Identify Goals

• Short-term - Continue my career with an employer that allows me to use my skills, talent and values.

• Long-term - To develop other outlets for my talents in order to achieve both personal and professional success.

Step 5 – Write a Mission Statement

• How are you living it out now in your life?

Identify One Way, This Week, You Can Live It Out…

• World• Family• Work• Friends• Community