Set a course to create your personal mission statement.
There was a time when I felt unfulfilled.
My life had no direction, and I thought I had no purpose.
Maybe you can relate.
But here’s the thing.
Looking back, it made sense. Of course I felt that way.
Why?
The answer was right in front of me; I had no idea what I wanted, what I stood for, and what direction I wanted to go in.
The reason?
I spent zero time figuring those things out; I was just living on autopilot, whining about my life and waiting for some divine inspiration.
I mean, how would/could I ever feel fulfilled if I don’t even know what I find fulfilling?
Instead of waiting around and being responsive to life, I decided to start being proactive and exploring how to start living with more intention.
So, if you’re tired of autopilot mode and looking to add a sprinkle of intentionality to your daily grind, you’re in the right place.
Look, we live in a world that’s constantly telling us to go faster and do more things, which I think is nuts, and frankly, I just refuse to abide by that logic anymore.
And living with more intention is like being able to press a pause button; it allows me to think about how to live on purpose and make choices that better align with my values and goals.
All of which leads to being able to live the contented life I desire.
This intentional living concept is like regaining control over the steering wheel of your life, free from the chaos of to-do lists and obligations, and crafting your own personal mission statement is a powerful exercise in living with intention.
Personal mission statement
For those not familiar, a personal mission statement involves creating a concise, meaningful declaration that encapsulates your core values, beliefs, and aspirations, serving as a handy reference guide for your daily decisions and actions.
The belief is simple. If you don’t know what you want or what you believe in, you will never feel fulfilled or live with a sense of purpose. It. Ain’t. Gonna. Happen.
Corporate owners, chairpersons, and top executives have long used this process of creating a mission statement that is used to steer the corporate ship toward their collective goals. The company uses these statements to help make decisions on a daily basis so that they align with what the company finds core to its corporate values.
(As a funny aside, the term ‘corporate values’ makes me think of an oxymoron, which then makes me think of an old Jon Lovitz bit where he defined oxymoron as ‘zit cream for an idiot.’ Truly LOL material). But I digress…
But just like corporations, the same is true for personal mission statements. If you spend some time and put in the work to figure out who you are and what you want, you’ll be able to start aligning your life with your values, goals, and principles. When you can do that, you can start living an intentional and contented life, and here’s how to get started.
Understand your values
The first step in creating your own personal mission statement may sound a little obtuse if you’re not familiar with mindfulness techniques or inwardly evaluating yourself, but you need to reflect on your values. What principles and goals are most important to you? Consider the main aspects of your life, like family, career, personal growth, community, and health. Take some time to look inwardly and identify the central values that resonate with you.
There’s no way around it; understanding your values is the foundational step in crafting a personal mission statement, so take your time and get your head around this concept. It’s all about diving deep into your innermost beliefs and principles, exploring what matters most to you and what you want to prioritize in your life. It’s essential because your values and principles are the core of who you are and shape your thoughts, actions, and decisions. So, when creating your mission statement, you need to get to the root of these values.
If you need help starting or get stuck in this process, go back and consider the various aspects of your life. Consider your relationships with family and friends; what kind of connections do you want to foster? Think about your career; what role does it play in your life, and what values should guide your professional choices? Contemplate personal growth; how do you want to evolve as a person? Reflect on your connection to your community; what contributions do you want to make? And, of course, consider your health; how does your overall wellness factor into your general life philosophy?
There are no right or wrong answers here, so leave self-judgment out; this is the time to be honest with yourself; what are your needs, wants, desires, and mostly, what you believe in. And this reflection process can take some time, and it’s perfectly normal for values to evolve as life unfolds. And I can’t stress this enough: the key is to be honest with yourself. Identify the values that resonate with you deeply, the ones that truly matter. These are the principles that should form the basis of your mission statement.
For example, my list of core values includes:
Prioritizing wellness.
Demonstrating empathy.
Epitomizing integrity.
Encouraging self-growth.
Avoiding judgment.
Focusing on the good in life.
It’s also important to mention that this process is not about what others expect from you; it’s about what genuinely matters to you. Your mission statement should reflect your authentic self, and that begins with a deep understanding of your values. Or said another way, write your personal mission statement for you, not your social media feed.
Define your purpose
Once you have a clearer understanding of your values, you need to add to that by thinking about your life’s purpose. What do you want to achieve in the long run? What legacy do you want to leave? Do you even care about leaving a legacy? I don’t. Your mission statement should reflect your driving purpose or vision for your life; it represents the larger picture, the “why” behind our existence.
Life is your journey, so defining your purpose is about taking those core values you’ve identified and using them as a compass to chart your life’s direction. What is the ultimate destination you’re striving for? To answer this question, you’ll need to consider your life’s goals and aspirations, and your purpose should be as unique as you are: a reflection of your passions, desires, and ambitions.
For example, my list of life purposes include:
Providing the lifestyle flexibility of working for myself online while traveling full-time as a digital nomad.
Making time to meet people.
Prioritizing my mental and physical health.
Being open-minded to new experiences.
You’ll also need to find a deeper connection between your values and purpose to get the most out of this process. You need to anticipate aligning your daily choices with your larger life purpose because that creates a sense of direction and fulfillment in your life.
Keep it concise
A good mission statement is typically brief, often just a sentence or two. It should be easy to remember and avoid being too generic or vague; make it specific to you and your values. The brevity of a well-crafted mission statement serves a few purposes. First, it makes it a quick reference when faced with choices or dilemmas. Second, it serves as a reminder of your fundamental principles and can help you stay on course as decisions and actions are required.
The real challenge lies in balancing brevity with specificity because while it’s important to keep it concise, it’s equally important to make it personal and meaningful. For instance, instead of a broad statement like, “I want to make a difference in the world,” you could craft something more specific and personal, like, “I want to help people find employment.” It’s a balancing act. The intent is to be detailed enough to be actionable but not so specific that it hamstrings creativity in application.
Write it down
I’m a big believer that thoughts and emotions become real and tangible things you can work on when you write them down, so start drafting your mission statement. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy; I choose to put pen to paper, but you may prefer fingers to keyboard; just let your thoughts flow. Start looking at your values and purpose notes and start forming your sentences, then continue to prune. It’s going to take a number of iterations to get it to where you like it. Write from the heart, and don’t rush the process. Remember, your statement should be a genuine reflection of your values and aspirations.
I can’t stress this part enough: when you begin drafting, approach it with patience, an open mind, and a willingness (seriousness) to explore your innermost beliefs. Don’t worry about perfection. It’s about capturing your thoughts and emotions.
Simple and straightforward, and notice it doesn’t have some grand bullshit statement I don’t mean about world peace. This is my mission statement and one I continually reference in my mind as I go through my day, and I don’t do anything that deters from that. It reflects what I consider to be my core values and purpose in life without being too specific, allowing for some interpretation without changing who I am or what I want.
Creating a personal mission statement can be a profoundly introspective process for those who take it seriously, so take your time. Reflect on your past experiences, your aspirations, and how your values have evolved.
Remember that your mission statement is a dynamic document. As you grow and change, your values and goals may evolve as well, so revisit and revise your statement periodically to ensure it remains a genuine reflection of your innermost self. Ultimately, your mission statement should serve as a source of inspiration and guidance, helping you make choices that align with your authentic values and purpose in life.
More on revisit and revise
Actually, I want to share a few more thoughts on the mission statement being a dynamic document. I mean, life changes, so naturally, your priorities will evolve over time to adapt. As life unfolds, you also change as a person, so periodically revisiting your mission statement to ensure it still resonates with you is a good idea.
If your mission statement no longer aligns with your current values and life direction, change it. In fact, revising it is a sign of self-awareness and growth, and crafting a new mission statement will ensure that you continue to live a life of intention and authenticity. And revising your mission statement can be just as enlightening as it was creating it initially. It allows you to realign your priorities, reaffirm your values, and set a clear course for your future endeavors. In this way, your mission statement remains a relevant and valuable tool to live with the intention of your values and purpose.
Take a test drive
Once you’ve crafted your personal mission statement, go out in the world and put it to the test. When faced with decisions, big or small, take a pause to consider whether your choice aligns with your mission statement.
And look, I want to mention that if you are new to this sort of thing, it may seem silly and awkward to start. I get it; I was that way when I first started practicing mindfulness and working on living with purpose. So it may help to ease into these things. In short order, they will become easier to do because you’ll start connecting the dots to how making a list and actually using it as a tool to make decisions will move your life forward in a rewarding way. So keep an open mind, and know the more of a chance you give it, the more benefits you will be rewarded with.
With that said, once you’ve crafted your mission statement, you do need to actually start putting it into practical use by testing it in your daily life.
Use your mission statement as a filter to evaluate decisions. If a decision aligns with your mission, it’s a positive sign that you’re on the right path. If it conflicts, pause and reflect on whether it serves your long-term goals and values. Hey, consider the fact that maybe sometimes it’s your mission statement that needs to change, not the decision. Only you can ultimately decide those things, and that’s why you need experience with it in real-life scenarios.
I use my mission statement to create a sense of accountability, and I feel that kind of empowers me to make deliberate choices; it doesn’t matter what the decision or action I am considering is.
Should I brush my teeth? Make my bed? Be nice to people? Find a way to exercise even when it’s raining? Do my best? Watch Casablanca again? Say hi to strangers? Set achievable goals? Since these align with my mission statement, the answer is yes.
Should I cheat on my taxes? Go through the day, grumpy? Compare myself to others? Watch movies for 10 hours a day? Put salt on food without tasting it first? Allow a negative comment to upset me? Since these do not align with my mission statement, the answer is no.
It’s not a perfect science, and it doesn’t always work, but it works better than not paying attention to what you’re doing, that’s for sure.
Also, I think taking your mission statement for a test drive in real-life situations transforms it from a theoretical concept into a practical tool for decision-making. When you put in the work, a personal mission statement helps you stay true to your values and purpose and helps guide you toward a life that’s more intentional, meaningful, and aligned with what truly matters to you. That’s what I call a contented life.
Closing thought
There was a time in my life when I lived on autopilot and ended up feeling unfulfilled with a life that lacked purpose, and that made sense because I didn’t have a good understanding of what I wanted or what I stood for.
Creating a personal mission statement constructs those tangible parameters of what we want out of life based on what we believe in, and we use that to influence our thoughts and behaviors toward that purpose. Over time, we’ll end up with the life we connect with and enjoy.
It’s simple and it works. But, if you don’t go through this process, how do you ever know what you want or when you get it?
For me, autopilot didn’t work. Having a mission did.
