3 Reasons to Create a Simple Personal Mission Statement
Finding your why is important. Take the time.
“I don’t have to do anything but die,” my great aunt would flippantly remark whenever someone asserted that she had to do anything.
As a young lad, I took that to heart.
There are consequences for all decisions, but fundamentally, I don’t have to do a single thing, not even take a breath.
This phrase has always liberated me yet it brings me to a true conundrum: if I’m full of agency, what should I be doing with my precious time on Mother?
Turning to you, what do you do in your free time? Do you ever get lost in the routine of daily life in an ever-faster society?
As a novice meditator and yogi, I’ve spent time pondering these questions. I craved a sufficient answer for how my meanderings tied back into my life’s deeper purpose.
Crafting a personal mission statement helped me crystallize what I’m working towards today and provided me with a simple framework with which to ground my decisions.
To nurture Earth’s soul by tending local land and effecting scaled ecological regeneration.
It will also help you on your path toward greater clarity and purpose. By setting aside the time to synthesize your why, you will gain a guide with which to help you make meaningful decisions faster and in alignment with your values.
What is a personal mission statement?
A personal mission statement is an assertion of your values, goals, and purpose in life as of today.
Just as a company uses its mission as a guiding light, you can also use your mission as a North Star. It’s a living statement that can evolve over time and should be revisited periodically to ensure it still aligns with your values and goals.
3 reasons you should create one
1. It provides clarity, direction, and self-discovery.
When you take the time to reflect on your values and purpose, you can create a clearer vision for your life. You may also discover things about yourself that you didn’t realize before.
For example, I thought my love for trees was calling me to become a botanist. While going through this exercise myself, I uncovered that my passion is for ecology — understanding how flora, fauna, and funga interact with one another.
Without this direction, it’s easy to get lost in the noise of daily life and lose sight of what’s truly important to you.
2. It functions as a decision-making tool.
A key benefit of having a personal mission statement is that it can help you make decisions.
With a richer understanding of what you stand for and what you want to achieve, it’s easier to say no to things that don’t align with your values or goals. You can use your mission statement as a filter for making decisions, ensuring that you’re making choices that support your vision and purpose.
For example, when deciding if I was going to embark on the challenge of starting an ocean farm, I used my mission statement to judge its alignment with how I wanted to spend my time.
You can refer to your personal mission statement to see if a project aligns with your values and goals. If it does, then you can confidently move forward with the project. If it doesn’t, then you can pass on the opportunity and focus on things that are more in line with your mission.
3. You will gain motivation and accountability.
Having a clear vision of what you want to achieve and why makes it easier to stay motivated and focused on your goals. Your mission statement can serve as a reminder of why you’re doing what you’re doing, which can be especially helpful during challenging times.
Taking it a step further, sharing your mission statement with others can help keep you accountable and driven to stay on track. When you share your mission with others, they can help hold you accountable and provide support when needed.
Write a mission statement!
When composing your mission statement, you’d ideally have the means to sit by a calming fireplace in silence. But not all of us can be John Dutton and enjoy the spoils of the Yellowstone Ranch. (It’s a great show by the way!)
Nevertheless, I hope that you can find a quiet place to let your mind wander and reset by pondering our initial questions. Here are a few additional questions as you reflect:
- What are your core values?
- What is your purpose in life?
- What are your passions?
- What are your goals for the future?
I must emphasize that your mission statement is living and adapting as you are.
Facing grand transition moments like changing jobs or starting a family can be an opportune moment to reevaluate one’s mission statement and adjust accordingly.
Maybe you haven’t found your current ‘why’ and that’s reasonable! But make sure you’re giving yourself the opportunity to find it.
Good luck on your journey toward greater clarity and purpose 🦉
