The Idea of the Week
An organization’s mission statement describes what the organization aims to achieve and what it values. Simalarly, a personal mission statement describes what you want to achieve in life and reflects your values. So first, let’s clarify our values with Rowena Tsai’s 15-minute video: How to get your life together: discover your values, live your purpose, and set goals for a full life.
Rowena highlights an important distinction that helps align your goals and actions with your values and purpose. The key question to ask is: “Is this what I truly want, or is this something I think I want?” The video also includes a free worksheet to identify, prioritize, and reflect on your values.
The Practice of the Week
Having a personal mission statement can bring focus to your goals that creates a meaningful life for you. Some ways to bring clarity to your mission statement are to ask questions, reflect on your values, and create a vision of what you want in your life. In this 5-minute article, Psychology Today outlines How to Write a Personal Mission Statement.
A benefit to writing a personal statement is that it is holistic. So, as in this 10-minute article, when a professor had to write a mission statement to apply for a teaching position, they could tweak their personal mission statement to be more career-focused. Below are a few examples from the article to inspire you in your mission statement:
- Live a life that aligns with my core values: “I will strive to live a life that is consistent with my own values and ethics. To achieve this, I will ensure I reflect every day on how my daily actions and interactions with others will reflect upon me, and whether they’re consistent with who I strive to be.”
- Always have a growth mindset: “My core mission is to always maintain a growth mindset each and every day. For me, this means embracing challenges rather than shying away from them, having persistence and resilience when I face setbacks, and viewing effort as a pathway to mastery.”
- To be generous with my time: “I will be generous with my time because I believe my time is the greatest gift I can give to others. This means I will commit to quality time with my friends and family and make sure I maintain a work-life balance so I can commit my time to the people who deserve it.”
- Change what’s in my control: “I pledge to focus my energies on what I can control in my life. I will strive to change my circumstances when possible, and adapt my attitude when it isn’t. By understanding and accepting this distinction, I will bring about the most positive outcomes for myself and those around me.”
Remember, your personal mission statement can change over time. Revisit your personal statement and revise it when it is no longer working for you and your life evolves.
News of the Week
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The Thought of the Week
Wishing you a peaceful week!
