Writing a Personal Mission Statement

Why should I?
A mission statement is part of a bigger picture. Corporate
consultants call this bigger picture strategic planning.

Strategic planning is the process by which the guiding members of

an organization envision its future and develop the necessary
procedures and operations to achieve that future.

Thus, strategic planning is a roadmap to lead a person or

organization to become what he/she/it wants to become.

The steps to the strategic planning process usually include:

1. Assess strengths & weaknesses (internal) and opportunities &

threats (external).

2. Develop vision (ideal view of realistic future).

3. Develop mission statement (how to get to vision).

4. State core values/beliefs/priorities.

5. Set long-term objectives/goals and then short-term.

6. Determine who, what, when, where, how of objectives/goals.

7. Create assessment strategies to evaluate success of

objectives/goals.

8. Start again (repeat every 3-5 years).

What is a mission statement?

• A precise, concise and inspiring declaration of the fundamental
purpose of the organization/individual

• A powerful document that expresses your personal sense of

purpose and meaning in life; it acts as a governing constitution
by which you evaluate decisions and choose behaviors

• Written permission to do what is most important to you, most

exciting to you, most YOU

• A good mission statement is:

 no more than one sentence long
  easily understood by a 12-year-old
 able to be recited by memory at gunpoint
(Laurie Beth Jones)

THE PROCESS IS JUST AS IMPORTANT AS THE

PRODUCT!
Brainstorming – Quick Notes (5 minutes)
Respond to the following quickly, in 1-3 words each.

1. What is one trait you want to pass on to your kids?

2. What are two qualities you love about your spouse?

3. Describe yourself in one word.

4. If there were only two rules everyone should follow, what would they
be?

5. Who do you admire most? In one word, why?

6. What are three things you would do if you knew you could not fail?

7. When you daydream, what do you see yourself doing?

8. If you had unlimited time and resources, what would you choose to do?

9. When you look at your personal life, which activities do you consider of
greatest worth?

10.When you look at your work life, which activities do you consider of
greatest worth?

11.What do you consider to be your most important future contribution to

others?

12.Are there things you feel you really should do even though you might
have dismissed such thoughts many times before for various reasons?
What are they?
13.I am at my best when…

14.I am at my worst when…

15.I want to be a person who…

16.Someday I would like to…

17.My deepest positive emotions come when…

18.My greatest talents and best gifts are…

19.When all is said and done, the most important things are…

20.What do you want more of in your relationships? What do you want

less of?

21.What do you want more of in your work? What do you want less of?

22.What would you do if you were 10 times bolder in your marriage? In

your work? In your community? In your family? In your church?

23.As a result of your having lived, three things have changed or shifted in
the world. What are they?

24.What did you do for fun when you were a child? What were your
favorite games and toys?

25.If you were asked to create a TV special about something that moves
you, what would it be about?

26.What magazines intrigue you most at a newsstand? What sections or

articles most catch your attention?

27.If you started a business or organization to solve a need, what would it

be?
 28.What issue would you like to see someone write a bestselling book
about?

29.What subjects would you like to learn about? Go back to school for?

30.Who are the people you find yourself voluntarily getting together with,
again and again, for deeper discussions? What are your deepest
discussions about?

Brainstorming – Activities (15 minutes)

Respond to one or more of the following, which spark your interest,
in some detail on a separate page.

1. What is your state in life? What general responsibilities does this state
entail? Where is it all leading you? How does it relate to the teachings
of Christ and God’s plan for your life? What is your ultimate measure of
success in this life?

2. Describe your life as an epic journey with you as heroine. What is your
journey about? What are you doing? Who is it for? Why are you doing
it? What are the results?

3. Describe the last time you were really excited about life. What were
you doing? Who was there? How did you feel?

4. If you were given one million dollars and had to give it to charity, which
charity would you donate it to and how would you like it to be used?

5. If you asked the person who knows you best to describe your three
greatest strengths, what would they be? How can you use these three
traits to make a positive contribution in your family? At work? With
your friends?

6. Describe your ideal day.

7. What things do you want to have that you feel are important? These
can be tangible (i.e. house, car) or intangible (i.e. faith, family). From
your list, identify the five most important items.
 8. Who has served as a positive role model for you and has had a
significant impact in your life? Why did that person have such a
significant impact? What qualities does this person possess that you
would like to emulate? What other qualities of character do you admire
most in others?

9. Write down a list of no fewer than 20 talents you have been given.
Which of these talents have you buried? Which have you multiplied?

10.Define your life roles (i.e. Christian, wife, mother, daughter, friend).
Describe how you would like to be described in each of those roles.

11.Identify four or five examples where you have had personal success in
recent years. Try to find a common theme or themes to these
examples.

12.Develop a list of attributes you believe identify who you are and what
your priorities are. See if you can narrow this list to five or six most
important values.

13.What excites you in or about the world? What three things would you
teach others about these things? What angers you in or about the
world? What three things would you convey to others about these
things? How can you use what most excites you to affect what most
angers you?

14.What did you tell people you were going to be when you grew up? Are
you doing anything that resembles that dream now? Why or why not?

15.If you had only six healthy months left to live, what would they look
like?

SAMPLE STATEMENTS

An Organization…

MISSION
Bethany House is the Catholic spiritual life center for youth of the
Diocese of Lansing, offering spiritual retreats, formation programs, and
special events that form the whole person as made in the image and
likeness of God. We seek to evangelize and educate youth based on
the teachings of Christ, develop their personal relationships with God,
and deepen their appreciation of His Church, so they may go out into
the world and spread the Gospel.

VISION
Bethany House will be a premiere Catholic youth center in the country,
raising youth to high ideals as we serve and guide them on their
spiritual journeys with Christ towards eternal life.
VALUES
We most value:
• the teachings of Christ and His Church;
• respect for all persons as made in God’s image;
• personal relationships with God;
• youth who long for authentic faith and morals;
• presenting Christ as truly human and truly divine;
• and faith-filled families.

A Family…

MISSION
We will love the Lord, our God, with all our hearts, with all our souls,
and with all our minds and love all others as ourselves.

MISSION
The mission of our family is to create a nurturing place of order, love,
happiness, and relaxation, and to provide opportunities for each person
to become responsibly independent and effectively interdependent, in
order to achieve worthwhile purposes.

An Individual…

MISSION
I will seek God in all things and strive for holiness as a wife and
mother by nurturing a Christ-centered family that treasures our
Catholic faith, ongoing personal growth, outreach to others, and
unconditional love.

It is my personal mission in life to love, honor, and worship God with all
that I do and think. By His grace I will remain committed to my
wedding vows: loving and honoring my husband, and raising our
children to love God with all their hearts. Being a good wife and
mother, with all that that implies, is my focus in life. – Sally (36-year-
old stay-at-home mom with 4 young children)

My mission in life is to become a saint. I will accomplish this mission by

being a loving and loyal Catholic. I will love my wife and children and
provide leadership for my family as a husband and father. I will follow
the Ten Commandments in my personal life and in my business. I will
be patient and, with God’s grace, wise in my counsel. I will serve
others as long as I am privileged to do so. – Frank (45-year-old married
businessman with 3 teenage children)
Other Personal Mission Statements…
1. At the end of my life, I want to be able to say I gave everything I had to give. –
Anonymous

2. To live each day in gratitude, for true gratitude will guard against selfishness,
envy, self-pity, and pride. – Anonymous

3. I will explore my every gift and talent, never wasting my potential to bring
goodness, beauty, laughter, and light to my life and the world around me. –
Anonymous

4. For myself, I want to develop self-knowledge, self-love, and self-allowing. I

want to use my healing talents to keep hope alive and express my vision
courageously in word and action. In my family, I want to build healthy, loving
relationships in which we let each other become our best selves. At work, I
want to establish a fault-free, self-perpetuating, learning environment. In the
world, I want to nurture the development of all life forms in harmony with the
laws of nature. – Anonymous

5. I will maintain a positive attitude and a sense of humor in everything I do. I

want to be known by my family as a caring and loving husband and father; by
my business associates as a fair and honest person; and by my friends as
someone they can count on. To the people who work for me and with me, I
pledge my respect and will strive every day to earn their respect. Controlling
all my actions is a strong sense of integrity which I believe to be the
most important character trait. – Anonymous

6. Let then our first act every morning be to make the following resolve for the
day: I shall not fear anyone on earth. I shall fear only God. I shall not bear ill
will toward anyone. I shall not submit to injustice from anyone. I shall conquer
untruth by truth. And in resisting untruth I shall put up with all
suffering. - Mahatma Gandhi

Decalogue
1. Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today.
2. Never trouble another for what you can do yourself.
3. Never spend your money before you have it.
4. Never buy what you do not want, because it is cheap; it will be dear to you.
5. Pride costs us more than hunger, thirst, and cold.
6. We have never repented of having eaten too little.
7. Forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of
the future.
8. Wear a cheerful countenance at all times and give every living creature you
meet a smile.
9. Give so much time to the improvement of yourself that you have not time to
criticize others.
10. Be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear, and too happy
to permit troubles.
~ Thomas Jefferson

My Symphony
To live content with small means
To seek elegance rather than luxury, and refinement rather than fashion;
To be worth, not respectable, and wealthy, not rich;
To study hard, think quietly, talk gently, act frankly;
To listen to stars and birds, to babes and sages, with open heart;
To bear all cheerfully, to do all bravely, await occasions, hurry never;
In a word, to let the spiritual, unbidden and unconscious, grow up through the
uncommon.
This is to be my symphony.
~William Ellery Channing

Benjamin Franklin's Thirteen Virtues

Temperance: Eat not to dullness; drink not to elevation.
Silence: Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself; avoid trifling
conversation.
Order: Let all your things have their places; let each part of your business have its
time.
Resolution: Resolve to perform what you ought; perform without fail what you
resolve.
Frugality: Make no expense but to do good to others or yourself; that is, waste
nothing.
Industry: Lose no time; be always employed in something useful; cut off all
unnecessary actions.
Sincerity: Use no hurtful deceit; think innocently and justly speak accordingly.
Justice: Wrong none by doing injuries; or omitting the benefits that are your duty.
Moderation: Avoid extremes; forbear resenting injuries so much as you think they
deserve.
Cleanliness: Tolerate no uncleanliness in body, clothes, or habituation.
Tranquility: Be not disturbed at trifles or at accidents common or unavoidable.
Chastity: Rarely use venery but for health or offspring, never to dullness, weakness,
or the injury of your own or another's peace or reputation.
Humility: Imitate Jesus or Socrates

To live my life as an expression of the principles I believe in:

People shine when given the chance to create, express and grow. Empower.
People feel the need to be understood, just as, or even more strongly then the need
to be loved. Listen.
People don't need more opinions, we already drown in data. People need clarity. Drill
down.
People learn from example, not only from words. Exemplify.
People are attracted to honesty and have bullshit detectors. Be true.
People need new experiences to expand their knowledge of reality. Adventure.
People can learn from their mistakes. Recognize, don't fear failure.
People search for simple solutions to problems when they are rarely simple. Dig.
People shine when they believe they can make a lasting impact, this may be the core
of everything we do. Inspire.
People and companies are driven by visions, not ideologies. Lead.
Ignorance is fear of the truth. Truth is more important than pride. Learn.
A life without passion is a life not lived. Live.
Faith is the cure to doubt. Have Faith.
When you forgive, you are forgiven. Forgive.
Love is stronger than death. Love.
~Karl Martino

Be humble, considerate, honest, kind, loving, and most importantly forgiving, but
wise.
Give unselfishly to the needy, but try to provide tools for success as well: i.e., offer a
job and a handout.
Provide limitless love to my children and my other family members. Allow them to
grow and develop unhindered of what I think is best; but allow them to painfully
discover what is best for themselves. Set wide boundaries within which they may
develop, wide enough where they can make decisions they will anguish over, but
close enough that they will know how much I love them and that I will always morally
support them. Say yes, unless there is a very good and explainable answer for no.
Allow them to color in their own future, not striving for any perceived expectations of
my own or other people in their lives.
Keep my word.
Find weaknesses in myself and situations and choose to improve them.
Other important values I must never forget: Learning, gaining knowledge and
nurturing friendships.
Work and play where my integrity cannot be compromised.
Refrain from building walls o allow pessimism, criticism to come in, but I will choose
to learn from them, not react or hide from them
Refrain from competing, but add to others’ success.
Remember and thank those who have helped me. Return their kindness to others
that need it.
Allow my values to guide me, not jealously or other peoples’ values, competition or
wealth.
Look at both sides of an issue before making a decision. Realize that each decision is
an independent decision, not necessarily directly related to past or future decisions,
and take the time to gather insight to make informed decisions.
Take time every day for reflection, to realize what I learned, what I should learn more
about to say thank you, to give myself a pat on the back while looking into what I
need to improve upon.
Remember always that my greatest success will be through my children’s eyes and
to build and positively develop that relationship every day.
"Real success is success with self; It's not having things, but in having mastery,
having victory over oneself."
~ Anonymous