I recently ran across an excellent post by Rosetta Thurman, in which she writes about the importance of developing a personal mission statement. I absolutely loved the idea; organizations and companies all have mission statements – why can’t individuals? A mission statement is intended to ensure that non-profits always stay true to their original goals and values – and the same effect can apply to people. She quotes Dumb Little Man, who defines a personal mission statement as:
Your personal mission statement should be a concise representation of what’s most important to you, what you desire to focus on, what you want to achieve, and, ultimately, who you want to become. In its purest form, it’s an approach to your life, one that allows you to identify a focus of energy, creativity, and vision in living a life in support of your inner-most beliefs and values. Also remember that your mission will change over time as you and your life change.
Rosetta writes that your personal mission statement should include both your values and your goals – personal and professional. After all, it’s the combination of both that will lead to a fulfilling work-life balance and career. Particularly if you tend to be confused or unclear about what you seek in your career (as I sometimes am), creating a concise personal mission statement can provide clarity and help you distill your broad ideas and hopes into a more concrete statement. A mission statement can help guide you towards a job or opportunity that is a better fit, or help you keep in mind who you truly are when choosing between confusing options for the future. It can also provide motivation to keep trying until your personal and professional life aligns perfectly with your individual “mission.”
Here’s my mission statement:
I value achievement, education, challenges, and thinking big. I love being surrounded by people every day; I love being part of a team of dedicated, motivated, passionate, hardworking, and creative individuals. I value spending time with my loved ones, and having a healthy work-life balance – with personal time to read, learn, and smell the roses. I seek a life as a learner, but more importantly a do-er who puts ideas into practice. I am most fulfilled when I feel that I’ve made a tangible and direct positive impact on people’s lives. I love work that involves writing, working in teams, speaking with people, and creative thinking. I seek the perfect mixture of adventure and stability. Professionally, my goals are to combine innovation and law, and to show that law can be a tool for empowering people and creating positive social change. Before I die, I hope to have made a significant and measurable impact on the lives of the poor and marginalized in the U.S. and abroad, to have served as an advocate and public interest lawyer, to successfully lead and expand an organization with an innovative and effective approach to increasing access to justice, to play a role in policymaking, and to contribute to scholarly work through writing and speaking. I seek success and want to find a calling, not just a job. I want to help inspire and build the next generation of public interest lawyers. At the same time, I refuse to give up on my values and dreams of family and stability.
What’s yours? Post your personal mission statement in the comments!
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