Have you ever considered developing a Personal Mission Statement?
A statement that sums up your values and interests in a sentence or two?
If not, I would encourage you to give it a try.
If you do, you won’t be alone.
You’ll be joining folks like Oprah Winfrey and Denise Morrison who use their own Personal Mission Statements to guide their success.
“To be a teacher. And to be known for inspiring my students to be
more than they thought they could be.” OPRAH WINFREY
“To serve as a leader, live a balanced life, and apply ethical principles
to make a significant difference.” DENISE MORRISON
But why?
Why do these women have one?
Well, I haven’t been able to ask them directly (big grin) but I have a few hunches.
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THEY PROBABLY DEVELOPED A PERSONAL MISSION STATEMENT TO HELP THEM:
- Get clear about their life purpose
- Specifically define their values and interests
- Create a life that is centered around their purpose, values and interests
- Find their way back to the big picture when they get lost in the details of life
- Make decisions
Looking more closely at Oprah’s Personal Mission Statement, here’s what I mean:
1. GET CLEAR ABOUT LIFE’S PURPOSE
Oprah clearly states she wants to be a teacher. It’s an open-ended statement that allows her to be creative and explore several styles of teaching. When faced with decisions about what to give her time to, she can ask herself, “Will this decision give me the opportunity teach something?”
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2. CLEARLY DEFINE VALUES AND INTERESTS
Oprah expresses a few values in her statement.
- To be known
- To inspire
- To allow others to be more than they thought they could be
When making decisions, she can ask herself, “Will this decision inspire others?” “Will it help others be more than they thought they could be?”
3. CREATE A LIFE CENTERED AROUND PURPOSE
Knowing what we know about Oprah’s life, we can see she has successfully used her personal mission statement to create a life centered around her purpose. She is a teacher in every sense of the word, wouldn’t you agree?
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4. STAY FOCUSED ON THE BIG PICTURE
You know how it is.
You spend your life day-in and day-out managing all sorts of details.
Sometimes it can get extremely difficult, can’t it?
Some days the details pile up and you’re not sure where you’re headed anymore or what the purpose of this all is.
Having a Personal Mission Statement to revisit from time-to-time can help you stay grounded and focused during those times.
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5. MAKE DECISIONS
Do you ever have a hard time making decisions, especially when there’s a lot at stake?
It’s particularly hard when you don’t know what’s at the end of your decision.
A Personal Mission Statement can be used to guide you through many of the simple and complex decisions you will make throughout your life.
Let it be your guide so you can have more faith in where your decisions will take you.
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READY TO DEVELOP YOUR OWN STATEMENT?
If you want to develop your own Personal Mission Statement, here’s a great guide and worksheet I found online that will help you with this process.
Need to find your focus and start prioritizing your life? Struggling to stay motivated?
Check-out these LIFE PLANNING ESSENTIALS available for you to get started today. They can work wonders to help you recharge and refocus your life.
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