The benefits of crafting a personal mission statement
We are living in a time where everyone has their own personal brand.
Heck, not having a brand can even be considered a brand, albeit, not a very influential one. With having a brand comes the need to effectively communicate your message to the world outside of your orbit.
Enter the personal mission statement.
Sidenote, before we hop into the logistics, can we clap it up for the fact that “personal mission statement” abbreviates to PMS? How cool is it for those three letters to be related to something positive for a change?
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But, let’s get back to the topic. A personal mission statement is the starting point for understanding your position in the marketplace.
Whether you happen to be a college professor or a bus driver, every person has their unique purpose for getting up every day and doing a particular job.
If you were to walk into a room full of strangers, tasked with the challenge of explaining what you value and why, then that would be your own personal mission statement.
As Fast Company notes, even Oprah Winfrey has one: “To be a teacher. And to be known for inspiring my students to be more than they thought they could be,” is hers, revealed in an issue of O magazine.
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So how do you nail down your PMS like Auntie Oprah? Start with these five questions.
1. How do you see yourself?
Before you can even think about telling the world who you are, you have to know yourself first. You need to examine your character from all angles and determine the best of your attributes and also how they can benefit the world.
2. What is your purpose?
I feel like this is one of those existential questions people stumble over quite frequently, but coming up with an answer for it is crucial. Everyone has a purpose. Define your purpose by what makes you get up in the morning.
3. What do you want to be known for?
When all is said and done, how do you want people to say you lived? How would you like your family and friends to interpret your legacy. Write that down.
4. What are your life-long goals?
This is an area that doesn’t require much specificity, but if you could, think of at least one goal that you would like to carry out through life. Even if it’s just a shell of a concept, that’s a good starting point.
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5. Tweak. Tweak. Tweak.
Nothing is ever final when it comes to crafting your personal mission statement. It can change as you change. Start off with a general PMS and tweak it as you see fit over time. You can even tie it in with your New Year’s resolution and give it a fresh update every year.
Ok, now that you understand how to write a PMS, it’s only right that I share mine with you.
Here goes …
My personal mission statement is: “To help people elevate and become their best selves.”
Do you already have a personal mission statement? Drop it in the comments or tweet us @32Letter.
I am defiantly going to think of one. Thanks x
This is so helpful to a newbie such as myself. I am trying to create a brand around my writing and didn’t even think about the fact that I will probably need a mission statement. I would have no idea where to start. Thanks for the post.
Love this! I have created many websites/projects over the years, and most of them have fizzled away because the endgame wasn’t clear. Having a personal mission statement could have omitted many days/weeks/years of time spent on those dead end projects!