My personal mission is to live a blissful life by striving for:
1) meaningful relationships;
2) excellent health; and
3) a life of impact that is equal to or greater than the resources that I consume.
My motto is currently a quote from Dr. Martin Luther King Junior “Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive selfishness” and I try to keep the concept of Ubuntu forefront in my mind.
Other’s personal missions:
How to write a personal mission statement
My method for helping others to write their personal mission statement is as follows and is informed by the approaches listed above.
- List the things/people you love, value, respect, look up to, and connect with. Take out a piece of paper or notebook that no one else will have access to. Brainstorm your reactions to the following prompts. Remember to write down everything and anything. Don’t self edit. Write down everything that comes to mind even if it isn’t profound. Even the response “green” can be of value.
- What do you like
- What do you care about
- If you could be famous for anything, what would it be
- What would you fight for
- What would you do if you had one week to live
- Who is your hero
- How do you want to be remembered?
- If this were missing from your life it your life would be duller
- I am passionate about
- When do you feel like you are at your best
- What makes a life worth living
- What is your favorite food; color; music; game; instrument; etc.
- What would you be willing to go to jail for
- What do you like to learn
- If you were going to do something for someone else who would it be for
- What do you love
- If you could do anything at all no limit of money, time, or ability, what would it be
- What do you want to be when you grow up
- What is the secret dream that you hold so close that if you pulled it out to share it, it would feel like you were ripping something away from your soul (too important to risk failing)
- In the last month what did you do that you really enjoyed
- Who makes you feel special
- I value … above all else
- What have you been successful at
- What would you like to have your legacy be
- What are the attributes that identify who you are?
- I would like to possess
- I will have made it if I achieve …
- What is your ideal self, what does your ideal self do
- What are your Core values?
- What are your contributions or what would you like them to be
- Anything missing from your list that you haven’t written down
- Anything you hope to do but haven’t done yet
2. Look at the list and see if there are insights you can draw. Ask the following questions or do the following things to dig for insights:
- Group things into things or people that you cared about but have forgotten
- Group things in the list into categories of things that are similar.
- Are their major themes that come up over and over again?
- Think about which of these things are currently in your life and which you do not have in your life currently.
- Why are things that you care about missing from your life?
- Write down your insights
3. Taking everything you have written down and your insights, craft an all encompassing mission statement. Start with one of the following prompts to develop yours:
- My personal mission is to …
- To … (what you want to achieve, do, become) … so that … (reasons why it is important). I will do this by … (specific behaviors or actions you can use to get you there).
- I value … (insert 1-3 values here) … because .. (reasons why these values are important to you). Therefor, I will … (what you will do to live by these values).
4. Put it aside and come back to it in a week to see if you can further craft it. Work on it until you are content that it captures your personal mission. Review it every year.
From the Bull Penn: Moving Toward Bliss Again 