A Proper Mission Statement Can Drive Your Life Forward
Most people measure us by our accomplishments -- what we've done.
In my experience, most people compile their track record of accomplishments BY MISTAKE; that is, we don't have a plan, we simply react to opportunities as they arise. In other words, our accomplishments are externally motivated, not internally driven. What this argues for, of course, is a consciousness of mission -- what each of our lives is really about. That's what this short article will discuss -- your Personal Mission Statement.
A Personal Mission Statement will help you to organize your entire life -- your time, your thoughts, your priorities. Actually, a personal mission statement, conscientiously developed, will change the way you view everything in your life. Your personal mission statement will force you to constantly re-evaluate who you are, what you're about, and what you're doing.
As an example, just look at the Constitution of the United States. The essential mission statement there is "...to create a more perfect union." Where would we be as a nation today if they had not outlined the goals and hopes of a new nation in those terms? The basics of a mission statement are as follows: 1. Make it short and to the point. Nelson Mandela's mission statement, developed over his 27 years in prison in South Africa, says just this: "End Apartheid." Another great mission statement was developed by Abraham Lincoln upon his inauguration as President. "Preserve the Union." Note that mission statements can change. Perhaps a mission is accomplished. Franklin Roosevelt started his presidency with a mission to "End the Depression." By the time that was almost done another threat had arisen and the United States had become involved in World War II. Now the mission statement was "End the War." 2. Keep your mission statement short, to the point, simple. Use direct language. Be sure that a 12-year-old could understand the statement and you'll be more or less on track. 3. Make it memorable so it can be burned into your consciousness. The rule of thumb here is that if you can't recite it from memory, it's too long and too complicated. Remedy: simplify, condense, "laser" your thought process until you've said everything you need to say in the fewest and strongest possible words. 4. Eliminate excuses. Before you can write an effective mission statement you must clear away the excuses that prevent most people from writing one in the first place. Don't make the mistake of thinking that your job IS your mission. It's only part of it...or not. Either way, remember that a mission is larger than a job. Your job may change, but your mission may not. In fact, there are times that a job MUST change in order that a mission be completed. So don't lock yourself in a box that says that you ARE your work. You're far more than that. Another trap...excuse...is "My role is my mission." If you're a man you may think of your role as "breadwinner." For a woman this might be "wife" or "mother." The operating principle here is that your role, too, may change. In fact, as your life, evolves your role will almost certainly change. The third excuse -- the one most of us don't want to cop to -- is that we may believe that we're just not important enough to have a mission statement. Sure, it's fine for a big company to have one, or for a country to have one, but I'm just one of the "little people," so I don't DESERVE one. Parenthetically, we almost never say this aloud. What we do say, at least to ourselves, is that we don't NEED one. WRONG, WRONG, WRONG!! Get rid of all that silly thinking. Focus. You'll be glad you did. Finally, clear out influences that have driven you in the past. A mission statement isn't about what you think you should be doing. It's about what EXCITES you. So instead of listening to all those voices from the past...the ones that told you you weren't worth anything, that you'd never succeed, and so forth. Concentrate on your gifts, your dreams. Copyright 2002, 2005 Optimum Performance Associates/Paul McNeese. Paul McNeese is CEO of Optimum Performance Associates, a consulting firm
specializing in transitional and transformational change for individuals
and institutions through publication. His publishing company,
OPA Publishing, is an advocacy for self-publishing authors of
informational, instructional, inspirational and insightful nonfiction. Email: pmcneese@opapublishing.com
Websites: http://www.opapublishing.com and http://www.opapresents.com
Related News
|
 |
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
One Focus To Success
Too many times we are distracted from our main goal and purpose by all of the different things out there that we want, or think we want. Instead of making choices, we seem to want it all, everything we come across. Too many conflicting desires is a recipe for disaster.
Six Keys To Build Vision - Point Five
5.Submit it to good leaders (accountability breeds stability and security)
What is The Right Action That Leads To Your Ultimate Goals?
What is the right thing I need to do to bring forth my
desires?
Is There An Anxiety Solution For Those Who Fail To Keep Their Resolutions?
In a nutshell... YES!
On Achievement
If a comatose person were to earn an interest of 1 million USD annually on the sum paid to him as compensatory damages ? would this be considered an achievement of his? To succeed to earn 1 million USD is universally judged to be an achievement. But to do so while comatose will almost as universally not be counted as one. It would seem that a person has to be both conscious and intelligent to have his achievements qualify.
The 12 Commandments of Goal Setting
Many professionals have a basic idea of what they want to achieve in their careers. They may want to close more sales, earn a higher income, or move into a different job. However, somehow they do not achieve the success they desire. Why? Why is it that intelligent, motivated, hard-working individuals are not achieving the success they deserve? It is because they haven't set clear goals.
Struggling to Make a Decision?
Every great success story begins when a person makes a decision to do something or not to do something. They make a clear decision to make a significant change.
A New Conversation About Dreams - The Power of Intention
It's time to change the way we think and speak about our dreams. Transforming a conversation, just like manifesting a dream, begins by setting an intention. Your intentions will assist you in taking greater control of your life.
Are You Willing To Risk It?
What would your life be like if you kept doing everything the same way? If you stood still for the next 10 or 20 years and didn't make progress with anything? If you stayed stuck in the same situations that you're in now?
Do You Really Value What You Wish For?
I am sitting in a shopping mall, waiting for my wife to finish her Christmas shopping. Next to me is a rather pathetic-looking fountain, which contains hundreds of coins, mostly thrown in by children of irate shoppers.
How To Create Your Very Own DREAMWALL!
A great way of attuning yourself daily to what your deepest dreams and wants are is to create yourself a DREAM WALL.
Focus On Your Goals Without Envying Others
Many of us waste too much time envying others instead of getting on with our own goals and dreams. This is stupid to put it mildly.
Goal Setting - Get Exactly What You Want!
I am writing you from the quaint sea town of New Bern, NC where my wife and I are catching some much needed R&R.
Get It Done-Or 3 Ways to Advance Your Goals
1. WORK WITH THE END IN MIND- OR FOCUS ON SUCCESS
Achieve Your Goals By Doing Something About Them
The title of this article sounds simplistic but it is amazing how often people (including me) sit staring at a problem like mounting paperwork and become so depressed by the thought of all the work to be done that they do nothing and continue in a paralytic state for days and even months!
Are You Working Towards Success?
To some people it means driving a flash car and flashing wads
of cash around to show they are doing well.
To others it is spending time with their family, having
achieved happiness in their life.
Goal-Mapping
Goal-mapping is like a treasure hunt, you must first start out by knowing what you are looking for. Be very specific on what you want without limiting yourself. The next step is charting out what course of action you must take to get what you want. I encourage women to map out a treasure hunt on what they want in life, and to use that chart to reach their goals. That is exactly what I did to get my Ph.D. degree. I knew that I wanted to get my degree in psychology, and to write a book. My goal was to use my dissertation as a self-help book, and with the successful completion of my dissertation I could be awarded my degree. I enrolled in the Ph.D. program and completed all my core courses.
Personal Goal Setting and Management - Planning for the Year Ahead
The start of a New Year is a great time to plan for what you want to achieve. What better time than to invest in yourself and set a course for the future. As you reach your goals you will need to set new ones.
How do you do this in a powerful and focused way?
How To Become A Polished Public Speaker In Just One (1) Day
The fear of speaking in public ranks right up there with the fear of death. I had the same fear myself until I was chosen to be an electronics trainer for the Air Force. It was only then I realized just how afraid and lousy at speaking I really was. I went to my first day of the 8 week training course excited and looking forward to learning a skill that many have never mastered. I soon found out I was really terrible and needed a lot of practice.
Eight Steps to Taking Control of Every Situation in Your Life!
Like it or not, we are all gladiators. We go to sleep and wake up in a social arena from which there is no escape. Challenge upon challenge confronts us, walls restrain us, and a mob of spectators mocks, sneers, or cheers us. Each and every day brings new battles whether we want them or not and whether we're up to them or not. Life forces us to face one skirmish after another - no choice in the matter.
|
