Personal Mission Statement

Most companies and legitimate businesses have a mission and vision statement that guides them, shares their purpose and explains the reason for their existence. So the question is, why don't we do the same? In a recent post we talked about the importance of "beginning with the end in mind" and the most effective way to do that is to develop a personal mission and vision statement for your life. It will help you focus on what you want to be (character) and what you want to become (contributions and achievements). Just like a business, once you have your personal mission defined, you have the essence of your own proactivity. You have the vision and values which direct your life. You have the basic direction from which to set your long and short term goals. Without them, you can easily get caught just wandering aimlessly through life and not end up where you want to be.

Mission statement - defines the present state or purpose of an organization. It basically answers what it does, who it does it for and how it does it.

Vision statement - defines the optimal future state - the mental picture of what an organization wants to achieve over time. It provides guidance and inspiration for what an organization is focused on achieving in 5, 10 or more years. It is your GPS or North Star.

We live our lives differently when we know what is deeply important to us and when we keep a picture of that in our mind, we manage to do what really matters. If the ladder is not leaning up against the right wall, every step we take just gets just gets us further from where we want to be. We may be very busy, we may be very efficient, but we can only be effective when we begin with the end in mind.

A personal mission statement (mission, vision, creed, etc...) is the focus of what you wish to be and do. It is a commitment, not just a goal. I challenge you to stop, think about it and create one for yourself. I guarantee it will change your thinking and keep you headed in the right direction so that you can live a life of meaning and purpose..