Why Having a Personal Mission Statement Matters In the hustle and bustle of daily life, it’s easy to lose sight of our direction, to get caught up in the minutiae of existence without a clear sense of purpose. Yet, amidst the chaos, having a personal mission statement serves as a guiding light, illuminating the path we wish to tread and shaping the decisions we make.
What is a Personal mission statement?
A personal mission statement is a statement that defines your values, who you are on how you define success. A personal mission statement can be used to guide your decisions and help you stay focused to meet your long-term goals.
What are values?
It is the things that you choose and that are important to you in your life. It is not the things your parents or friends decide to be important. You must choose them out of your own free will. It is the things you are proud of and are happy to tell the world about.
Your values have been influenced by everything that you have had contact with in your life: your parents, your friends, your life experiences, your access to media and your conscience. For you to become a mature adult, you need to develop your own value system. It is the code by which you live your life.
Why is it important to have a mission statement?
It gives control and structure or purpose to your life. It guides you into the future. It help you to achieve your aims and goals
Your personal mission statement is to formulate or draw up your own mission statement, consider the following aspects:
Personal views
Your personal views are your opinions and what you consider to be important. For example, you may view Mathematics as an important subject because you want to study to be an accountant after school. Your personal views many be influenced by your goals for your future, your religion, culture, and values.
Values
Values are personal beliefs that guide the way you live your life. They are your standards of acceptable and unacceptable behaviour. They are aspects that are important or valuable to you and have meaning for you. Some of the things that shape your values are your life experiences, the environment in which you live, your school, your interests and the important people in your life.
Belief system
Your belief system is the way you try to understand the world and your place in it. It is also your set of beliefs about what is right and wrong, true and false. Your belief system may be based on the teachings of a formal religion or may be part of your cultural belief system.