True North- A Personal Mission Statement

A Personal Mission Statement will help to keep you focused on why your are working your butt off on your life path journey.  As the adult poster child for dyslexic adults with ADD I know just a tad about focus.  My bride and I have an inside family joke that says I have the attention span of a gnat.  It is truly a gift. I am able to do a ton of things that most people will never do because of it.  It can also be a terrific burden if my attitude and work ethic are not in the proper place.  Usually I just want to play.  As I teach my children,  we have to work before we earn the right to play.  One of the ways I continue to focus is my daily reading of my goals.  Oh yea, you first have to have them, then write them down and finally,  read them.  If you haven’t done that start,  at the article on this site about SMART goal setting.  OK focus Tim, where was I? Yea, ok reading my goals daily…out-loud.  A part of my goals sheet is my personal mission statement.  

We have so much going on is our super-sized supersonic lives that sometimes it is just tough staying on the treadmill.  An occasional look back and look “out” is worthwhile and has a renewing effect and refreshes my confindence that I am in fact heading in the direction I want. An introspective look can also give me feeback on whether I am traveling on the two track dirt road on a mountain bike or if I have boarded the supersonic transatlantic mode of moving forward. It can be hard  to tell if you havent checked the scenery for awhile.   Napoleon Hill, in his famous book Think and Grow Rich, wrote that most people never have or define a goal. In his book he presents is a six step plan to achive financial freedom. Chapter two contains one of the secrets. The key element is first developing a clear statement of purpose, a personal mission statement will be an awesome start so here we go.

A warning though.  You need to spend some time on this.  I suspect that is why people never get it done…because it takes work.  It is critical to your success to craft this personal mission statement to be congruent with your core values.  Here are some of  the elements of a good mission statement.

• Write a statement that is specific and clear 
  What are your core  values? Who are you really?  Does that line up with who you want to be? What do you stand for? Do you have a contribution that you have a burning desore to put out to the world? Your personal mission statement  is a statement of intent,  it’s what is going to happen and how. When the daily drudges hit you, this is the place of joy, relaxation and contentment you will come to. Make your statement meet your needs. Your Personal Mission Statement becomes your True North, it will act as a compass to keep you on track; your decisions and actions will be guided by it. Coming back to your statement will provide you with an overview a peek trough a fisheye lens to see the bigger picture.
• Many big dumb companies (Dan Kennedy’s fine words) produce long rambling mission statements.  Did you ever work for a corporation that wanted you to memorize that thing?  Yea right. No one reads that rot.  Again Napolean Hill suggests you read through your ‘mission statement’ every morning and evening, if you have a 20 page dissertation you wont read it enough.  Short, succint, sweet.
• Fuzz factor.  It should contatain the appropriate fuzz factor for you.  What makes you feel good? Inside. Knowing where you are going and why allows you to begin the day with joyous anticipation.  Knowing you are traveling the route you selected to a destination you desire will give you a brighter view of the journey.

Enjoy your successful journey.  Live-Love-Laugh. Tim