Suzan Svatek

In my last posting, I talked about the importance of developing a Personal Mission Statement. Today I want to talk about HOW to draft your mission statement.

1. Define your Roles and Goals. Make a list of at least 20 items.

2. Put them in order of importance.

3. Keep your statements brief, clear and simple. Try to keep them to 1 or 2 sentences. You are focusing on what you want to become as a person at this time in your life. Think about specific behaviors, habits, actions and qualities that would significantly impact your life positively over the next 1 to 5 years.

4. Your mission statement should be positive. Do not say what you don’t want to do, instead write about how you would achieve your goal in a positive way. Include positive behaviors, values and character traits that are of particular importance to you.

5. Be aware of how your character traits, actions, behaviors and habits affect the important relationships in your life.

6. Create your mission statement in a way that is doable for you in your everyday life. Do not go to extraordinary goals that would set you up for failure. Stretch yourself, but do not create anxiety in your fulfillment of your goals.

7. Is your mission statement consistent with other areas of your life? Are you achieving balance?

8. Write in the first person, i.e., I WILL… work to further my knowledge everyday either through taking classes, reading books, or educating experiences so I can be intelligent and insightful.

9. Do your mission statements energize and motivate you?

10. Your mission statements will change as you grow. It is important to reflect on them frequently and update them as you evolve and gain insights about what you want for each part of your life.

The following examples are taken from the “7 Habits of Highly Effective People”:

Personal Mission Statement:

“My mission is to live with integrity and to make a difference in the lives of others.

To fulfill this mission:

I have charity: I see out and love the one – each one – regardless of his situation.

I sacrifice: I devote my time, talents, and resources to my mission.

I inspire: I teach by example that we are all children of a living Heavenly Father and that every Goliath can be overcome.

I am impactful: What I do makes a difference in the lives of others.”

Another example from the same book:

“I will seek to balance career and family as best I can since both are important to me.

My home will be a place where I and my family, friends, and guests find joy, comfort, peace, and happiness. Still I will seek to create a clean and orderly environment, yet livable and comfortable.

I will exercise wisdom in what we choose to eat, read, see, and do at home. I especially want to teach my children to love, learn, and to laugh – and to work and develop their unique talents.

I value the rights, freedoms and responsibilities of our democratic society. I will be a concerned and informed citizen, involved in the political process to ensure my voice is heard and my vote is counted.”

Each example has a personality unique to its author. Yours will be unique to you.

Take the time to draft a Personal Mission Statement and watch your life move ahead rapidly and successfully.

I’ve been reading Stephen Covey’s book “7 Habits of Highly Effective People”. In it he talks about the importance of developing a Personal Mission Statement. This is a missive of your goals, values and desires. It is the person you wish to be.

As a result of reading this book, I have begun to draft my own Personal Mission Statement. As Covey says, “I am the programmer, thus I write my own program.” I must decide and design what I stand for in my life. Am I REACTIVE or PROACTIVE?

Your Personal Mission Statement is your personal constitution; the standards by which you live your life. When the world around you is in chaos, you are still solidly grounded by virtue of your foundation.

You are not swayed and persuaded from what you value most. Defining who you are at your core can take weeks or months. It requires great introspection and deep objectivity. Just like the constitution our country is governed by, it is a set of distinct principles. It is “a complete and concise expression of your innermost values and directions” according to Covey.

Your mission statement becomes a solid expression of your vision and values. It causes you to think deeply through your priorities. It is total self-awareness and extremely empowering.

To write your Personal Mission Statement, break your life down into specific roles areas. Identify goals for each of those areas. These roles might include your career, personal (wife, husband, Mother, Father, friend, neighbor), community roles, i.e., public service, political, or volunteering. What about those roles are important to you?

After you identify your roles, then you decide on long term goals. These roles and goals are unique to you. Do not develop these roles and goals in order to gain acceptance from some outside force. Focus on results rather than activity. Identify where you are now and then where you want to go.

“Roles and goals give structure and organized direction to your personal mission,” says Covey. Start out with identifying two or three important results you wish to accomplish in each area of your life. From there, begin to draft you mission statement.

In my next posting, I’ll tell you HOW to draft your Personal Mission Statement.