Personal Mission Statement Participant Worksheet
My mission is to give, for giving is what I do best and I can learn to do better.
I will seek to learn, for learning is the basis for growth and growing is the key to living.
I will seek first to understand, for understanding is the key to finding value and value is the basis for respect, decisions, and action. This should be my first act with my wife, my family, and my business.
I want to help influence the future development of people and organizations. I want to teach my children and others to love and laugh, to learn and grow beyond their current bounds.
I will build personal, business, and civic relationships by giving frequently in little ways.
I see each day as a clean slate, a fresh chance to write a new script and seize new opportunities. I value life_s experiences and seek to learn and grow from each one. In my daily endeavors, I avoid neither risk nor responsibility; nor do I fear failure, only lost opportunity.
I am a responsible spouse and parent; I give priority to these roles. I value differences and view them as strengths. I seek to build complementary win-win relationships with family, friends, and business associates. To keep these relationships healthy and to maintain a high level of trust, I make daily “deposits” in the “Emotional Bank Accounts” of others.
In my profession, I am responsible for results. I act with courage, consideration, and discretion. I prefer to let my works speak for me and believe in achieving visibility through productivity. In planning my weeks and days, I focus on key roles and goals to maintain balance and perspective. Knowing that how I perform affects how I feel about myself, I seek to do my best and record how I feel in daily entries in a personal journal.
I value my personal freedom of choice and my right to exercise that freedom. I am more a product of my decisions than of conditions. I do not allow present circumstances or past conditioning to determine my responses to the challenges I face. I choose to focus on the positive, to work within my circle of influence—to act directly on things I can do something about—and thereby reduce my circle of concern.
Mission Statement Worksheet
By following the suggested six steps in Process One below, you will begin writing a personal mission statement that will inspire you and will provide direction and guidance for your life. Remember that a personal mission statement is as much discovery as it is creation. Don_t rush it or set rigid timetables for yourself; rather, go slowly through the process, ask yourself the right questions, and think deeply about your values and aspirations.
PROCESS ONE
The Creation of a Personal Mission Statement
A meaningful personal mission statement contains two basic elements. The first is what you want to be—what character strengths you want to have, what qualities you want to develop. The second is what you want to do—what you want to accomplish, what contributions you want to make. The third is what you want to have—what possessions, money, and so forth that you wish to have.
Note that it is relatively easy to identify the things we want to have; for many of us, that list will be longest. It_s important to keep in mind, however, that legitimate power and the highest levels of human happiness and fulfillment originate from the best.
STEP 1 - Identify an Influential Person
An effective way to focus on what you want to be and do is to identify a highly influential individual in your life and to think about how this individual has contributed to your life. This person may be a parent, work associate, friend, family member, or neighbor. Answer the following questions, keeping in mind your personal goals of what you want to be and do.
Who has been one of the most influential people in my life?
Which qualities do I most admire in that person?
What qualities have I gained (or desire to gain) from that person?
STEP 2 - Define what You Want to Be, Do, and Have
What I_d like to be:
What I_d like to do:
What I_d like to have:
STEP 3 - Define your Life Roles
You live your life in terms of roles—not in the sense of role-playing but in the sense of authentic parts you have chosen to fill. You may have roles in work, in the family, in the community, and in other areas of your life. These roles become a natural framework to give order to what you want to do and to be.
You may define your family role as simply “family member.” Or, you may choose to divide it into roles, such as “wife” and “mother” or “husband” and “father.” Some areas of your life, such as your profession, may involve several roles. For example, you may have one role in administration, one in marketing, one in personnel, and one in long-range planning.
Examples:
Wife/Mother, Manager—New Products, Manager—Research, Manager—Staff Development, United Way Chairperson, Friend
Husband/Father, Salesman—Prospects, Salesman—Financing/ Administration, March of Dimes Regional Director, Friend
Define up to seven life roles and then write these roles in the boxes provided. Next, project yourself forward in time and write a brief statement of how you would most like to be described in that particular role.
By identifying your life roles, you will gain perspective and balance. By writing these descriptive statements, you will begin to visualize your highest self. You will also identify the core principles and values you desire to live by.
STEP 4 - Write a Draft of your Personal Mission Statement
Now that you have identified your life roles and defined what you want to be and do, you are prepared to begin working on your personal mission statement.
In the space provided below, create a rough draft of your mission statement. Draw heavily upon the thinking you_ve done in the previous three steps. Carry this draft with you and make notes, additions, and deletions before you attempt another draft.
STEP 5 - Evaluate
It is important that you do not let your personal mission statement become outdated. Periodic review and evaluation can help you keep in touch with your own development and keep your statement in harmony with your deepest self. Continually ask yourself these questions:
• Is my statement based on timeless, proven principles? Which ones?
• Do I feel this statement represents the best that is within me?
• During my best moments, do I feel good about what this statement represents?
• Do I feel direction, purpose, challenge, and motivation when I review this statement?
• Am I aware of the strategies and skills that will help me accomplish what I have written?
• What do I need to start doing now to be where I want to be tomorrow?
The final test of the value and effectiveness of a mission statement is:
Does this statement inspire me?
STEP 6 - Write a Permanent Draft
We recommend that you keep a rough draft of your mission statement for a while to revise and evaluate. Be sure it inspires the best within you.
When you do have a permanent copy, review it frequently. We strongly recommend that you commit it to memory so that you keep your vision and your values clearly in mind.
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