Ten a Day - Day 3 Why You Need a Personal Mission Statement

Let me know if this has happened to you.  You woke up one morning, started your morning routine and in the middle of your shower you thought to yourself, “I really need to make up my personal mission statement today!”  No?  Why not?  Think about it, when you get out of the shower, what are you getting dressed for?  Where are you going?  What is your purpose in life?

Put it in to perspective

There’s a really cool scene in Alice in Wonderland where Alice meets the Cheshire Cat:

Alice - “Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?"

"That depends a good deal on where you want to get to," said the Cat.

"I don’t much care where--" said Alice.

"Then it doesn’t matter which way you go," said the Cat.

"--so long as I get SOMEWHERE," Alice added as an explanation.

"Oh, you’re sure to do that," said the Cat, "if you only walk long enough."

(Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Chapter 6)

 

How this pertains to you

You can go through life letting life direct your path (compulsion) or you can forge your own path through life with you as the director (free will).  If you pick the latter, then you need to know what direction you want to go.  How do you do that?  With your mission statement of course!

What exactly is a mission statement?

A mission statement is the purpose of YOU.  YOUR mission statement should guide all of your actions, spell out your overall goals, provide your life path, and guide your daily decision-making. It provides "the framework or context within which YOUR strategy is formulated."

I’ve heard of mission, vision, values and strategy statements; what is the difference of each statement?

·        Mission: Defines the fundamental purpose of YOU.  A good example, "My life mission is to provide jobs for the homeless and unemployed."

·        Vision: Outlines what YOU want to be, or how you want the world to see YOU (an "idealized" view of how the world sees you). It is a long-term view and concentrates on the future. It can be emotive and is a source of inspiration. A great example, "MY life vision is to help end world poverty."

·        Values: Beliefs that are a part of YOUR mission and vision. Values drive YOUR actions and set YOUR priorities; they provide a framework in which YOUR decisions are made. For example, "If I give a man bread I feed him for a day, but if I teach him to farm I can feed him for life.”

·        Strategy: Strategy, narrowly defined, means "the art of the general." A combination of the ends (goals) for which YOU are striving for and the means (policies) by which YOU are seeking to get there. A strategy is sometimes called a roadmap which YOUR path is chosen to plow towards the end vision. The most important part of implementing YOUR strategy is ensuring YOUR going in the right direction which is towards YOUR end vision.

Now that you have all your terms down and know what you need to do, NOW is the time to do it.  Oh, by the way, you may want to get dressed first…