Mission Accomplished…
with a Life Mission Statement.
Do you have a mission statement for your life? When this question came across my desk, I thought that is a silly question. As I sat, and thought about it some more, it started to make sense.
Crafting a mission statement will allow us to live more purposefully, and I knew with purpose comes more joy. The creation of a mission statement requires that we define our strengths, interests, and values. Once we know our mission statement, we simply have to ask ourselves “Am I living in accordance with my mission statement?”
In turn, our goals will become more obvious and we’ll feel more certain and clearer regarding your decisions.
Are You Ready? Let's Do It!
Below are six sets of questions to develop a mission statement for your life.
1.Who are your heroes? Think about those you respect and admire. Consider people you know personally, people you know of, and people from history. What do they have in common? What traits or experiences do these people have that you'd like to see in yourself?
Your true-self is closely aligned with those you hold in high regard.
2. Define the person you want to be. Life isn't only about accomplishments and accumulating a list of impressive possessions. Life is also about the person we become our contributions. Consider all the roles you might fill over your lifetime and define your ideal person for each of these roles:
Friend
Student
Caregiver
Spouse
Employee
Employer
Parent
3. Imagine you're 85-years old and only have a month left to live. Look back on your life. What would you like to look back on? What do you want to be able to remember? Making a difference? Making a million dollars? Climbing Mount Everest? Starting a charity? Having happy, successful children?
Start with the end in mind. Then you can create a path to reach that destination.
4. List your strengths, talents, and loves. What are you good at? Make a list of your natural talents and those areas where you've developed the most skill. Include the things you love to do, whether you're good at them or not.
If your mission statement can include or leverage your skills and talents, you'll be able to accomplish more.
By including the things that you love to do, you'll have a lot more fun!
5. Create a list of purposes. Define your life's overall theme and list the things that you want to accomplish in your life. Create a mission statement that incorporates all of these things into a central idea. It might require a couple of paragraphs to capture. These could be thought of as vague goals, such as:
Alleviate the suffering of others.
Fearlessly try new things and visit new places.
Make a living in the field I love.
Be a supportive and loving friend.
Be grateful for all the experiences that enter my life.
Be a committed life-long learner.
6. Set concrete goals that support your purposes. Set goals that will ensure that living your purpose is guaranteed. For example, what are some goals that might turn you into a supportive and loving parent?
Resolve issues from my childhood.
Read and apply a book on being more patient.
Get involved at my child's school by volunteering.
Read to my child each night.
Tell my child, "I love you." at least twice each day.
We all can feel confused, and we may be feeling like our lives lack purpose; developing a mission statement is a great way to put everything in perspective. After doing this exercise myself, I see that a thoughtful mission statement is a great way to create focus and keep our vision right where we can see it. We should all be able to say we are living in accordance with our mission statement!
Mission Accomplished!