How To Write A Personal Mission Statement: The Secret to Achieving Goals

You might have experienced a time when you achieved an ambitious goal, something that you really had to work for, but despite all of your efforts and dedication, after achieving it you felt empty or lost inside. This can happen when you become swept up with what external factors (society, family, religion, friend) perceive as success, without thinking about what success looks like to you.

A personal mission statement is like an internal compass. It helps guide you through life's storms and icebergs that pop up every now and then. Without this guide, you can be busy moving forward, but in the wrong direction. So when you achieved that ambitious goal and felt empty or lost, what happened was you weren't consulting your compass.

How To Write A Personal Mission Statement?

1. Define you values

Start by considering what your values are. Think back to a specific time that you were happiest.

• Where were you?
• Who were you with?
• What activity were you doing?

Write all of your answers down. What values summarise your answers? Nature, respect, power, social status, love, wealth, connected?

 

Now think back to a specific time that you were sad/angry.

• Where were you?
• Who were you with?
• What activity were you doing?

What values summarise your answers?

Next to each value, write down the opposite value. For example lying would turn into truth.

2. Design the best version of you

Ask yourself what the "best" version of your life looks like, including your relationships, achievements and career/business. Here are some questions you can ask yourself to get started:

• What qualities would you like others to attribute to you?
• Where would you like to be in your career? (ex. Do you have a specific job title? Have you reached a certain level?)
• What would you like to achieve professionally?
• What would you like to achieve personally or in your community?

3. Decide your legacy

Consider the mark you want to leave on the world and how your skill set can allow you to do that. Some questions you might ask yourself to get started include:

• What words or phrases would you like your family to remember you as?
• What words or phrases would you like your friends to remember you as?
• What words or phrases would you like your community to remember you as?
• What words or phrases would you like your business career to be summarised as?
• How, specifically, would you like the world to be different when you leave it?
• What do you hope to create, change or maintain that will be lasting?

4. Use this template

Combine all of the insights from above with this simple template to craft your own personal mission statement.

I will action for audience by skills to desired result.

For example: