What Is a Personal Mission Statement? How to Write Yours

Last Updated on December 19, 2023 by Milton Campbell

Do you ever feel like you’re going through the motions of life without any real purpose or direction? Maybe you find yourself questioning the very meaning of your existence while sipping on your morning cup of coffee.

Well, fear not, because today we’re diving headfirst into the world of personal mission statements. Those elusive guiding lights can help bring focus and clarity to our otherwise chaotic lives.

In this blog post, we’ll explore what a personal mission statement is all about and how you can craft one that will leave you feeling like a superhero on a mission. So buckle up and get ready to discover the power of defining your own personal mission statement!

What Is a Personal Mission Statement?

A personal mission statement is a statement that describes what you want to accomplish in life. It’s a way to clarify your values and goals and helps you focus your energy on what’s important to you. A personal mission statement helps you prioritize your life by identifying activities that align with your long-term goals.

An excellent example of this kind of statement would read something like: “My mission is to be the best graphic designer possible.” This person has identified his or her specific goal (being the best) and described how they plan on achieving it (through graphic design).

Why Do You Need a Personal Mission Statement

Your Personal Mission Statement can help you make decisions. If you’re faced with choosing between two paths, ask yourself which one best aligns with your mission statement. If there’s no obvious choice, weigh out the pros and cons of each option against each other to decide which one supports your personal mission more.

Your Personal Mission Statement can help keep you focused on what’s important to you. Once written down, try reviewing your statement often to stay motivated and remind yourself why it’s so important for you to achieve those goals.

How to Write a Personal Mission Statement

The process of writing a personal mission statement is as simple as:

• Identify your values.
• Identify your goals.
• Make a short statement to represent those.

Step 1: Make a List of What’s Important to You

Once you’ve got your mind clear of the clutter and distractions, it’s time to get down to business. To start with, let’s list everything that matters most to us. When making this list we need to think about things that are important in our lives and what we wish for ourselves. The best way to do this is by asking ourselves these questions:

What values do I hold dear?

What would I like my life to look like 5 years from now? 10 years from now? 20 years from now? 30 years from now? 50 years from now? 90+ years from now?

What is my purpose in life (or a purpose)?

How can I live out these values and purposes in each moment as much as possible (e.g., “I want less stress”) or (“I want more money/less debt/greater abundance”)?

Step 2: Write Down Your Goals

Write down your goals in a way that is easy to read and understand. Use words that are clear and concise, and avoid jargon or buzzwords. A good personal mission statement should be written in a straightforward manner so that anyone can quickly understand what it means.

Step 3: Use Your Values and Your Goals to Make a Short Statement

Now all you need to do is use your values and goals to write your personal mission statement. Try to keep it to a couple of sentences at most. The more clear and concise your statement is, the easier it will be to remember.

When you are finished writing your statement, read it over a few times to see if it flows well. Make sure that each word is necessary and that nothing seems out of place. If something doesn’t sound right, try rewriting it until it does.

Personal Mission Statement Template

To help you create your personal mission statement, here is a simple template to follow:

• To be (your goal) while maintaining (your value).
• I will be (your goal) for (audience) becoming (result).

Your mission statement doesn’t have to look like this it’s just a guideline. Or you can use some of the samples below.

1. I want to have a fulfilling and purposeful life, and I’m all about growing and making a positive impact on those around me.
2. My mission is to constantly challenge myself and step out of my comfort zone. I believe in pushing the boundaries and proving that anything is possible.
3. Learning and seeking knowledge are super important to me. It helps me adapt, innovate, and thrive in this crazy world that’s always changing.
4. Building strong and meaningful relationships is one of my top priorities. I want to create a sense of belonging and support for not just me, but also for others.
5. Treating everyone with respect, empathy, and kindness is a big deal to me. Embracing diversity and inclusivity is something that I’m all in for.
6. I’m really passionate about giving back and making a difference in the lives of others. Contributing to the greater good is something that drives me.
7. My mission is to take care of myself and prioritize my own well-being. I’ve realized that in order to help others, I need to be happy and fulfilled myself.
8. Challenges are just opportunities for growth and personal development in my book. I always try to approach them with a positive mindset.
9. Leading by example and inspiring others to unlock their full potential is a big part of my mission. I believe in empowering people to pursue their dreams.
10. Living authentically and being true to my values and beliefs is something I hold dear. I’m always striving to be the best version of myself.

Personal Mission Statement Examples From Famous People

Personal mission statements are a great way to define your life and what you stand for, but they can be intimidating to write. Here are some examples of personal mission statements that I found inspiring:

• “To be the best father, husband, and friend I can be.” – Ben Affleck
• “I want to create more opportunities for people who have never had them.” – Oprah Winfrey
• “I believe in being happy for no reason at all. I believe we can make each other happy by just being ourselves.” – Sylvester Stallone
• “If something is important enough you should try, even if the probable outcome is failure.” – Elon Musk, Founder of Tesla
• “To have fun in my journey through life and learn from my mistakes.” – Richard Branson, Founder of Virgin Group
• “I shall not fear anyone on Earth. I shall fear only God. I shall not bear ill will toward anyone. I shall not submit to injustice from anyone. I shall conquer untruth by truth. And in resisting untruth, I shall put up with all suffering.” – Mahatma Gandhi
• “To make people happy.” – Walt Disney
• “To serve as a leader, live a balanced life, and apply ethical principles to make a significant difference.” – Denise Morrison, CEO of Campbell Soup
• “To use my gifts of intelligence, charisma, and serial optimism to cultivate the self-worth and net-worth of women around the world.” – Amanda Steinberg, Founder of dailyworth.com
• “I want to make it so that every person in the world can afford to start their own business.” – John Rampton, Founder of Hostt

How To Use Your Personal Mission Statement

Once you have a personal mission statement, use it to guide your daily decisions. When you’re faced with a decision, ask yourself: “Does this align with my personal mission statement?” If the answer is yes, go ahead and make the decision. If not, then consider some other options until one of them fits your personal mission statement and go with that one instead!

You can also use your personal mission statement as a tool for making better decisions in general. When faced with any kind of choice, whether it’s where to eat for lunch or what career path to pursue, consider how each option relates to your own unique set of values and goals before deciding which will ultimately be best for you.

A lot of people find that once they’ve created their personal mission statements and put them into action daily by using them as decision-making tools in their lives, they start finding themselves feeling more fulfilled by their day-to-day activities than ever before! This is because once we start connecting ourselves with our larger purpose here on Earth (whatever it may be), everything else starts falling into place naturally without forcing any additional effort onto us at all!

How Often Should You Revisit Your Personal Mission Statement?

Once you have created your personal mission statement, it is important to revisit it often. You can do this at any time, but it’s especially helpful if you feel like something has changed in your life or if you want to reflect on how far you have come since the last time that you looked at it.

For example, I try to update my mission statement every year as part of my New Year’s resolutions. I also reflect more frequently on what is important to me because I am an introvert who spends most of my time alone and tends to get lost in thought quite often. When I am stressed and unhappy with myself I often find myself thinking about what my purpose should be and whether or not I am living up to my goals as a person.

A Personal Mission Statement Can Help You Build up the Things That Matter to You.

It’s important to have a personal mission statement because it can help you articulate your values and goals, which encourages self-reflection. Once you understand what is most important to you, it helps guide all of your decisions and actions.

Your personal mission statement can also help others understand who you are and why they should care about what matters most to you. This can be especially beneficial when trying to build relationships with people who have different perspectives than yours. By sharing your mission statements with them, they will better understand where else their interests intersect with yours, thus paving the way for a more productive relationship in general!

Conclusion

Whether you’re an entrepreneur, a student, or just someone who wants to have a better life in general, the personal mission statement can help you create a more meaningful life.

A good mission statement is like a compass that helps guide your decisions and actions toward what really matters to you. It will help you identify the goals that are worth pursuing and give meaning to activities that might otherwise seem pointless.

It also helps keep your priorities straight so that no matter what comes up in life, everything gets done in accordance with your values and goals as well as gives direction for how much time should be spent doing each activity (or none at all).

Did you enjoy this article on what is a personal mission statement? Please share and subscribe below.