You probably have seen mission statements everywhere. Show
They’re on walls in company lobbies and inside promotional brochures. Mission statements define a business or organization’s identity and purpose, and can go a long way in helping the company cast vision for its future. But did you know they aren’t just for big companies? You can have a mission statement too! This is called a personal mission statement, and it could be what you’ve needed to identify your goals and find the motivation to accomplish them. What Is a Personal Mission Statement?A personal mission statement defines who you are as a person (or as a team member where you work) and identifies your purpose, whether that’s in the office or simply in life. It explains how you aim to pursue that purpose, and why it matters so much to you. Author and career coach Dan Miller says a good mission statement should include three things: 1. Your skills and abilities (what you like to do) That’s it! It should be just one or two sentences long and say—in simple terms—exactly what you’re all about without any principles tacked on. Why a Personal Mission Statement Is UsefulWhether you’re a stay-at-home parent, store manager, college student, business executive, or truck driver, crafting a personal mission statement will serve you well in life. Everyone should have one! It’s important because it helps you focus on how to meet your long-term goals. It serves as a guidepost for where you want to go in life. The cost of writing a mission statement is small, but the payoff is huge because—simply put—it works! That’s because a personal mission statement keeps you from wandering off track. For example, if a decision you plan to make doesn’t fit within the confines of your personal mission statement, you shouldn’t follow through with it. Something may be a cool idea, but that doesn’t mean you need to bring it into your life. Dave Ramsey says a good mission statement becomes an out-of-bounds marker for your ideas. If your passion is being outdoors, is it really wise to hole yourself up in an office your entire career? Be realistic, and don’t set yourself up for failure. People fail at what they hope to achieve because they lack clear goals and focus. They run down too many rabbit trails and lose sight of who they were made to be. In other words, they ignore their personal mission statement. But a successful person will have a rock-solid vision spelled out in their personal mission statement. If you don’t already have a personal mission statement, there’s no time like the present to write one. Once they’re written, personal mission statements seem simple. But if they’re done well, they require a lot of effort to create. So take some time to think about and write down how each of Miller’s three areas apply to you. That lays a good foundation for crafting your mission statement. Think about your life principles and goals. Why did you set these goals? How do your goals make you a better person? The mission statement should answer these questions in 50 words or less, so try to get to the heart of who you are and exclude unnecessary details. Don’t worry if your statement doesn’t mirror someone else’s—every statement is different because no two people are the same. Putting Your Personal Mission Statement to UseOnce you have a written mission statement, start using it! Frame it and put a copy in your home or office so you see it often. You want to surround yourself with your own positive attitude. Not only should you live according to your personal mission statement, but it’s also important others know about it as well. You want people to know you’re going to live up to what you wrote, so spread the news! Accountability from those closest to you will help you stick to it. Examples of Personal Mission StatementsSpeaking of letting people know, the Ramsey Solutions mission statement is posted throughout the building, and every team member is required to know it like the back of their hand. It’s why we exist. It goes like this: "We provide biblically based, commonsense education and empowerment that give HOPE to everyone in every walk of life." But that’s a business mission statement. Here are a few examples of personal mission statements from successful CEOs in business: "To be a teacher. And to be known for inspiring my students to be more than they thought they could be." — Oprah Winfrey "To have fun in [my] journey through life and learn from [my] mistakes." — Sir Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin Group "To use my gifts of intelligence, charisma, and serial optimism to cultivate the self-worth and net-worth of women around the world." — Amanda Steinberg, founder of DailyWorth And here are a few other mission statements from some well-known nonprofits: "To inspire hope, and contribute to health and well-being by providing the best care to every patient through integrated clinical practice, education and research." — Mayo Clinic "Seeking to put God’s love into action, Habitat for Humanity brings people together to build homes, communities and hope." — Habitat for Humanity "To create content that educates, informs and inspires." — Public Broadcasting System (PBS) Ready to start working on your own personal mission statement? Having your purpose written down will add value and productivity to your life, so get started today! Want to better understand your personal strengths so you can craft a better mission statement? Get the DISC Personality Test! It’s all done online, so order and take your test today!
Many people feel as if they're adrift in the world. They work hard, but they don't seem to get anywhere worthwhile. A key reason that they feel this way is that they haven't spent enough time thinking about what they want from life, and haven't set themselves formal goals. After all, would you set out on a major journey with no real idea of your destination? Probably not! Click here to view a transcript of this video.
First consider what you want to achieve, and then commit to it. Set SMART (specific, measureable, attainable, relevant and time-bound) goals that motivate you and write them down to make them feel tangible. Then plan the steps you must take to realize your goal, and cross off each one as you work through them. Goal setting is a powerful process for thinking about your ideal future, and for motivating yourself to turn your vision of this future into reality. The process of setting goals helps you choose where you want to go in life. By knowing precisely what you want to achieve, you know where you have to concentrate your efforts. You'll also quickly spot the distractions that can, so easily, lead you astray. Why Set Goals?Top-level athletes, successful businesspeople and achievers in all fields all set goals. Setting goals gives you long-term vision and short-term motivation. It focuses your acquisition of knowledge, and helps you to organize your time and your resources so that you can make the most of your life. By setting sharp, clearly defined goals, you can measure and take pride in the achievement of those goals, and you'll see forward progress in what might previously have seemed a long pointless grind. You will also raise your self-confidence, as you recognize your own ability and competence in achieving the goals that you've set. Starting to Set Personal GoalsYou set your goals on a number of levels:
This is why we start the process of setting goals by looking at your lifetime goals. Then, we work down to the things that you can do in, say, the next five years, then next year, next month, next week, and today, to start moving towards them. Step 1: Setting Lifetime GoalsThe first step in setting personal goals is to consider what you want to achieve in your lifetime (or at least, by a significant and distant age in the future). Setting lifetime goals gives you the overall perspective that shapes all other aspects of your decision making. To give a broad, balanced coverage of all important areas in your life, try to set goals in some of the following categories (or in other categories of your own, where these are important to you):
Spend some time brainstorming these things, and then select one or more goals in each category that best reflect what you want to do. Then consider trimming again so that you have a small number of really significant goals that you can focus on. As you do this, make sure that the goals that you have set are ones that you genuinely want to achieve, not ones that your parents, family, or employers might want. (If you have a partner, you probably want to consider what he or she wants – however, make sure that you also remain true to yourself!)
You may also want to read our article on Personal Mission Statements. Crafting a personal mission statement can help bring your most important goals into sharp focus. Step 2: Setting Smaller GoalsOnce you have set your lifetime goals, set a five-year plan of smaller goals that you need to complete if you are to reach your lifetime plan. Then create a one-year plan, six-month plan, and a one-month plan of progressively smaller goals that you should reach to achieve your lifetime goals. Each of these should be based on the previous plan. Then create a daily To-Do List of things that you should do today to work towards your lifetime goals. At an early stage, your smaller goals might be to read books and gather information on the achievement of your higher level goals. This will help you to improve the quality and realism of your goal setting. Finally, review your plans, and make sure that they fit the way in which you want to live your life. Staying on CourseOnce you've decided on your first set of goals, keep the process going by reviewing and updating your To-Do List on a daily basis. Periodically review the longer term plans, and modify them to reflect your changing priorities and experience. (A good way of doing this is to schedule regular, repeating reviews using a computer-based diary.) SMART GoalsA useful way of making goals more powerful is to use the SMART mnemonic. While there are plenty of variants (some of which we've included in parenthesis), SMART usually stands for:
For example, instead of having "to sail around the world" as a goal, it's more powerful to use the SMART goal "To have completed my trip around the world by December 31, 2027." Obviously, this will only be attainable if a lot of preparation has been completed beforehand! Further Tips for Setting Your GoalsThe following broad guidelines will help you to set effective, achievable goals:
Achieving GoalsWhen you've achieved a goal, take the time to enjoy the satisfaction of having done so. Absorb the implications of the goal achievement, and observe the progress that you've made towards other goals. If the goal was a significant one, reward yourself appropriately. All of this helps you build the self-confidence you deserve. With the experience of having achieved this goal, review the rest of your goal plans:
Our article, Golden Rules of Goal Setting, will show you how to set yourself up for success when it comes to your goals. If you're still having trouble, you might also want to try Backward Goal Setting. Tip 2:It's important to remember that failing to meet goals does not matter much, just as long as you learn from the experience. Feed lessons you have learned back into the process of setting your next goals. Remember too that your goals will change as time goes on. Adjust them regularly to reflect growth in your knowledge and experience, and if goals do not hold any attraction any longer, consider letting them go. Example Personal GoalsFor her New Year's Resolution, Susan has decided to think about what she really wants to do with her life. Her lifetime goals are as follows:
Now that Susan has listed her lifetime goals, she then breaks down each one into smaller, more manageable goals. Let's take a closer look at how she might break down her lifetime career goal – becoming managing editor of her magazine:
As you can see from this example, breaking big goals down into smaller, more manageable goals makes it far easier to see how the goal will get accomplished.
Goal setting is an important method for:
Set your lifetime goals first. Then, set a five-year plan of smaller goals that you need to complete if you are to reach your lifetime plan. Keep the process going by regularly reviewing and updating your goals. And remember to take time to enjoy the satisfaction of achieving your goals when you do so. If you don't already set goals, do so, starting now. As you make this technique part of your life, you'll find your career accelerating, and you'll wonder how you did without it! |