If you don't know where you're going, you probably won't get there. You've probably heard that before, but how do you know where you should be going?
Thinking about and writing a personal mission statement gives you a clear purpose, a basis for defining all of your activities, who you are and what you're about.
In her book, The Path: Creating Your Mission Statement for Work and Life (Hyperion), Laurie Beth Jones, a leadership trainer, says thinking about your mission statement will change the way you view everything.
The statement should be short and to the point. You should be able to say it to yourself immediately. For example, Abraham Lincoln's mission was to preserve the union. FDR's mission was the end the war. The statement should be easily understood.
Your job is not your mission; jobs change. Your role is not, because being a mother, for example, is not a mission. Everything people do has an impact on other people, so every mission is important.
Consider what inspires you, what your vision of yourself may be, and what your resources are. Then write your mission statement and live it each day. Remember that missions evolve. You can change yours.
Rick Good spent ten years in the newspaper business, including with The News & Observer (Raleigh, NC) and The Greenville News (Greenville, SC). He co-wrote, with Melinda Coleman, Rutledge to Riley: Governors of South Carolina, 1776–Present (Published by The Greenville News), and is the author of Mind Games Trivia #1 (Amazon). He has recently spent 15 years creating original trivia content through Sounds Good Mobile Entertainment and continues that with his new company, SGME Software. He edits The Smart Reader’s money, real estate, and business coverage.
