This post may contain affiliate links.

We all have a personal mission statement whether it is in writing or not.  It’s a code, of sorts, that we live by.  It forms a picture of who we want to be and what we want to be remembered for.  It’s a reflection of our values, our dreams, and our goals for every area of our life.  Sometimes, though, it gets a little jumbled as we go through life.  As we go through various events over time the picture becomes a little cloudy.  That is why it is so important to take the time to write out a personal mission statement for every area of our life.  It becomes a tool we can rely on when we need extra motivation or a reminder of what we stand for when faced with a decision.

I have had a personal mission statement for years.  I started one back in high school and, over the years, it has developed and changed as I have grown. It covers multiple aspects of my life like what type of wife I want to be, what kind of mother, employee, etc.  It’s not super long.  Just a few simple sentences for each area that remind me of what is most important to me.

WHAT IS A PERSONAL MISSION STATEMENT?

You usually see mission statements crafted by companies that let the customer know what they stand for.  But a personal mission statement reminds YOU what you stand for.  It is a statement that defines who you are or would like to be as a person.  It identifies your life’s purpose or “mission”.  Your personal mission statement can be a catch-all statement that covers your life in general. Or it can be a super-specific statement about individual areas of your life.  For example, you may have a statement that reflects your individual missions as a wife, mother, person, and employee.  Your personal mission statement reflects your purpose for those areas.  It should inspire your and motivate you to be the best you can be.

HOW TO CRAFT A PERSONAL MISSION STATEMENT

Step 1

In order to craft your personal mission statement, you need to do some self-reflection and make a few decisions.  You need to decide what your personal mission statement will be about.  Answer the following questions to get a better idea of what your mission statement will be:

Will this be a blanket statement for your life in general? Or will you be more specific and craft several different mission statements that cover each area of your life?

Are there certain qualities and values that are non-negotiable for you?  Ones that you feel are part of your very being and that you feel you must uphold?

Are there certain qualities and values that you want to develop or are working on developing that you want to be reminded of when you read your personal mission statement?

If your mission statement be about individual areas of your life, what areas do you want to cover? (Some area examples would be your statement: as a parent, a spouse, a student, an employee, as an individual, about your faith, etc.).

What is important to you about the areas you chose?

Once you have answered these questions, continue on to Step 2.

Your personal mission statement should inspire you and motivate you to be the best version of yourself.

Step 2

Using your answers from above, along with any other thoughts you might have, start grouping those qualities, values, and areas together.  I recommend listing out the areas you chose and writing the qualities and values you associate with those areas.  I would then list out a few sentences about each one that reflects what your mission in that area is.

For example, the first mission statement I put together in high school included Family as an area of my life.  Love, loyalty, and helpfulness were qualities and values I associated with this area. They are what I wanted to be for my family.  The sentence I would have written at the time probably sounded something like this:  I want to be known for being loyal and loving to my family and helping them when they need it. 

Another example would be the area of Employee.  You might write down values and qualities you have or want to have in this area. Things like commitment, going above and beyond, and having a great work ethic.  You then might write down a few sentences to go along with these. Perhaps like “I want to be known as someone who is dedicated to always doing a good job, going above and beyond what is needed, and is performs their work accurately and efficiently.  I want to be someone that can be depended on and known for their knowledge in (your profession).”

After you have listed your areas and written a few things down about them, continue to Step 3.

Step 3

Now you will put it all together.  Take each area and re-read the qualities, values, and sentences you wrote down.  Try to put them together in a statement that reflects your mission for that area.  Let me give you a few examples:

Example 1

In my area of Family that I mentioned above, I wrote down love, loyalty, and helpfulness.  I then wrote the sentence “I want to be known for being loyal and loving to my family and helping them when they need it.” This was the portion of my final mission statement that concerned family.

My family is one of the most important things God gave me.  I will strive to be an encouragement to and to set a good example for my brothers.  I will always be there for my family no matter what and I will help them out in every way I can.

This has developed over the years to include other aspects of family and has become a much more eloquent statement. But, as a young person, this was a good mission for me to reflect on as I grew and changed.  It was something that, when I would read it over, would remind me of the qualities I wanted to have and the mission I had set for myself.

Example 2

From the same mission statement, I had the following about being an employee:

As an employee, no matter where I work, I will do my best to uphold the mission statement and standards of the company.  I will perform my duties accurately and efficiently and always step beyond what needs to be done.

Again, this has developed over the year but this gives you a good idea what to write especially if this is your first personal mission statement ever. 

Example 3

My last example concern myself as an individual and the person I wanted to be:

As for my role as an independent individual, I will set high standards for myself and I will keep them.  I will never allow anyone to tell me I am less than what I am and I will never belittle anyone else.  I will work to develop good character traits that will carry me through life such as patience, kindness, and strong Christian morals.

These will give you a little idea of what to write and, hopefully, help you develop a mission statement that inspires you.

Step 4

After you each area statement written, you can put them together in one document and print them.  Look at them and put them in an order that makes sense to you.  There are no rules for how it should read.  It just needs to remind, inspire, and be beneficial to you personally. 

As a final example, here is an image of my completed mission statement from high school. 

Display Your Personal Mission Statement

Once you have a personal mission statement that inspires you, you need to hang it up in a prominent place where you will see it frequently.  I, personally, printed mine in a pretty, but easy to read, font  and found a fun picture frame to put it in.  I was then able to hang it in my office and still have it fit in with my décor.  If you don’t want to hang it on your wall out in the open, hang it on the inside of a cabinet or door that you open frequently so it still sticks out to you.  What you don’t want to do is hang it somewhere you will never see it or put it in a drawer or notebook you may not open often.  The point of a personal mission statement is help you define who you want to be and remind and inspire you when you need it.  Never hide it away.

Feel free to comment below with any questions or share a mission statement that you already have!  I would love to hear from you!