“A small body of determined spirits fired by an unquenchable faith in their mission can alter the course of history.” — Mahatma Gandhi
A personal mission statement brings purpose and focus to your life.
My mission is pretty simple:
To improve the quality of life for as many people as I can, as long as I can.
I balance my mission by not taking myself, or life, too seriously, and finding ways to enjoy the journey.
A big part of enjoying the journey is living my values of adventure, empowerment, and excellence.
I wanted to revisit my mission statement and see if I needed to refine or expand it.
So I took a look around, and here’s what I found …
Personal Mission Statement Builder
One of the best tools I found is the FranklinCovey Mission Statement Builder.
The FranklinCovey Mission Statement Builder is an online tool that walks you through creating your personal mission statement.
It’s effectively a 10 step process with prompts to capture, refine, and reflect your passion and your purpose in an actionable way.
Steps to Building Your Personal Mission Statement
Here is a summary of the steps and prompts that the FranklinCovey Mission Builder walks you through:
Step
Prompts
Step 1: Performance
1) I am at my best when …
2) I am at my worst when …
Step 2: Passion
1) What do I really love to do at work?
2) What do I really love to do in my personal life?
Step 3: Talents
1) May natural talents and gifts are:
(Examples may be art, music, decision making, being a friend, etc.)
Step 4: Imagination
If I had unlimited time and resources, and knew I could not fail, what would I choose to do?
1) I would:
Step 5: Vision
Imagine your life as an epic journey with you as the hero/heroine of the story. What do you imagine your journey to be about? Complete the following statement by describing what you are doing, who it is for, why you are doing it, and what the journey’s results are:
1) My life’s journey is …
Step 6: Character
1) Imagine your 80th birthday, who will be there with you? What tribute statement would you like them to make about your life?
I will be a person who …
Step 7: Contribution
1) What do I consider to be my most important future contribution to the most important people in my life?
Step 8: Conscience
1) Are there things I feel I really should do or change, even though I may have dismissed such thoughts many times? What are they?
Step 9: Influence
Imagine you could invite to dinner three people who have influenced you the most–past or present. Write their names in the boxes below. Then record the one quality or attribute you admire most in these people.
1) Name:
1) Attribute:
2) Name:
2) Attribute:
3) Name:
3) Attribute:
Step 10: Balance
Let’s think of balance as a state of fulfillment and renewal in each of the four dimensions: physical, spiritual, mental, and social/emotional. What are the single most important things you can do in each of these areas that will have the greatest positive impact on your life and help you achieve a sense of balance?
1) Physical:
2) Spiritual:
3) Mental:
4) Social/Emotional:
My Personal Mission Statement
When I completed the Mission Builder, it spit out the following mission statement for me:
I am at my best when I am learning, growing, creating, and sharing.
I will try to prevent times when I am stagnating or getting bogged down.
I will enjoy my work by finding employment where I can change businesses with technology.
I will find enjoyment in my personal life through helping people realize their potential.
I will find opportunities to use my natural talents and gifts such as insight, innovation, and impact.
I can do anything I set my mind to. I will explore the world and share proven practices for living and leading a better life.
My life’s journey is I’m helping people and businesses change with skills that help them know more, do more, and be more.
I will be a person who helps everybody become more of what they are capable of.
My most important future contribution to others will be strategies, skills, and stories that change lives.
I will stop procrastinating and start working on:
Prioritize health
Explore more hobbies and interests
Connect more with long-time friends
I will strive to incorporate the following attributes into my life:
Boldness
Creativity
Authenticity
I will constantly renew myself by focusing on the four dimensions of my life:
Exercise every day.
Watch inspiring TED talks.
Read an insightful book a day.
Spend more quality time with family and friends.
Could I tune it and improve it?
Sure. But it’s a good start for helping me see my life from the balcony view.
Your Mission is Your Map
According to the Mission Builder, life is an ongoing process, and so is your mission statement.
Expand and refine your mission statement as you grow through life.
From the FranklinCovey Mission Statement Builder:
“It’s a living, breathing thing that can you help remind you why you get out of bed in the morning:
Over the years, your circumstances will change. Your priorities will change. Your goals and dreams will change. That’s okay – because change means growth. As you grow, transform, and broaden your horizons, allow yourself the freedom to expand and refine your mission statement.
For now, congratulate yourself on a job well done. Tell your friends about your newly stated purpose in life.”
I found the process overall relatively simple, straight-forward, and insightful.
I was surprised by the continuity in the final output, and I actually like how it reads.
It’s given me some ideas to chew on.
In the words of Maya Angelou:
“My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.”
Or, if you are a Star Trek fan and want to get your bold on:
“Space: the final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. Its five-year mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before.”
Your life is calling. Boldly go.
You Might Also Like
The Goals Guide
10 Big Ideas from Agile Results
10 Reasons That Stop You From Reaching Your Goals
Be the Author of Your Life and Write Your Story Forward
How To Create an Inspiring Vision Board
Wrap Your Day Around Your Mission
What You Become By Reaching Your Goals
How To Set Better Goals with Well-Defined Outcomes
How Brian Tracy Sets Goals
We Need Big Audacious Goals
How Tony Robbins Transformed His Life with Goals
How Tony Robbins Sets Goals
How John Maxwell Sets Goals
How Zig Ziglar Sets Goals
How Dreams, Goals, and Habits Fit Together
Be the Author of Your Life and Write Your Story Forward