If you sometimes feel like you are just moving from day to day without a plan, writing a personal mission statement can help you clarify what you want to accomplish and how you want to do it.

According to the dictionary, a mission statement is “a formal statement of the aims and values of a company, organization or individual. “  Thoughtfully done it provides a framework or template against which you can weigh all your decisions and actions.  It becomes a roadmap for your trip through the next year.

They are generally only 1 – 3 sentences and state goals you would like to achieve in the near future.
The goal may be personal or work related. The statement should be positive and  include behaviors, character traits and values that you consider important and want to work on further.

Here are some examples:

“To be healthy, fit and energetic so that I can enjoy life to the fullest and have the energy to pursue all my goals. I will do this by exercising regularly, following a nutritious diet and eliminating negative habits that are impacting my health.”

I will treasure time spent with my family and friends above everything else by putting aside time for them no matter how busy my schedule may become.

I will use my optimism, nurturing skills and organizational abilities to help others create more intentional lives as a way to earn a living.  And I will work at finding time to develop a romantic relationship.

These examples come from www.timethoughts.com  - a site that offers guidelines and lots of information on writing mission statements.

Think about a vacation – you can’t figure out how to get there if you don’t know where you want to end up or the type of transportation you want to use.  Working on your statement is a valuable exercise for creating the ideal life you dream of.

Once you have a mission statement, you can begin to decide on the action steps you will take to fulfill your mission.

Go to Google and type in personal mission statement to find a variety of sites that offer guidelines, lists of values, traits and actions, and templates to help you get started.

In the next post I’ll discuss another technique called a Vision Statement.

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