Your Mission Statement In 5 Steps!
This is a post about you. It's about you and your own unique purpose, or mission statement. We're going to take everything you value and turn it into a short statement... Sounds like a lot to ask so we'd better get started! (If writing a mission statement for your whole life is too daunting, you could narrow it down and take an area of your life - work, for example - and write your mission statement for that area.)
(Note: I've deliberately not given examples of values in any of the steps. I hope this doesn't make the exercise any less clear - I just want everything to come from you and not be contaminated by someone else's (my) ideas. You can, of course, also adapt this exercise as much as you want to suit your own needs and style. Make it yours!)
Step 1: Identify your values
In this step, write down what's important to you, in whatever order they come to you. They can be as broad or as narrow as you like - the important thing is that they're important to you. Don't think too much - we don't need them in any kind of order of importance - just go for it!
Step 2: Identify patterns
Can you spot any patterns in the values you've listed? Are there any themes that keep coming up? Could you group two or more of your values together under one name? Write these down.
Step 3: Narrow it down
Look at the themes you've identified. What is it about those themes that you value? Try and be as specific as you can about what's really important to you.
Step 4: Organise
Go through your lists from steps 1, 2 and 3. Write down, on separate pieces of paper, any of the values you've identified from any of the steps that are important to you.
Now for the fun part! You're going to arrange your values in order of priority.
Lay them out in a way that feels right to start with - it's just a first draft - so that the most important is at the top and the least important is at the bottom. If there are any two (or more!) values that you really can't decide between, put them on the same 'level'. Rearrange your list if necessary and, when you're happy with it, move on to step 5.
Step 5: Discovering your mission!
We only really need to deal with the top of your values 'leaderboard' now. The values at the top will be your core values - how far down your core values go depends on you. Take the ones that seem to really speak to you.
Now try to combine those values into either a few simple words, or one or two sentences. You could think of it as finishing the sentence "My mission is..." or "Everything I am about is encompassed into the statement..." or "My purpose in life/work is..." or "What I want out of life is..."
Keep writing and refining until you find something that makes your heart sing!