The Power of a Personal Mission Statement

We all have a story of our lives whether we write it or not. It contains our perspectives of the things that happened in our lives, the ups and the downs and how we have dealt with them. Whether they are challenges in our upbringing, education, career, business, relationships or simple day-to-day issues, how we handle them in our story reflects our values, beliefs, desires, dreams and goals. We may not realise it but they're there, good or bad. It makes us who we are and it’s what makes us tick.

We each write our own Story.

Our paths are a collection of all our experiences and whether they are successes and personal victories or trials and tribulations - they colour our paths. We can write this story because we have lived it - we walked the path and so we think we know the way forward.

What is a Personal Mission Statement?

What if we could do better than that? Companies and other organinsations take the time to organise a retreat and hire consultants to help them write a mission statement for the company. The most powerful way for an organisation to chart its path, decide its strategies and plan its action programs is to understand why it exists - what is it in business to do?

Similarly, what if we had a personal mission statement? Of course, we've travelled our path in the past, and we've done it without any particular purpose in mind - it's a life lived by default and we develop into who we are now in the process. Just like an organisation, we could also create purpose in our lives by deciding how we are going to live it. It allows us to chart our path and live our lives with focus.

Having a personal mission statement helps you deal with the many challenges life throws you.

You have to make decisions every day and without any blueprint how will you decide? Your mission statement IS your blueprint. In the most difficult times - at work or at home, you make your decisions consistently, courageously and you never need to ask anyone "What's the right thing to do here?" You know.

The Story of my Mission

It was way back in 1995 that I sat and tried, for the first time in my life, to write my personal mission statement. I gave myself the block of a whole afternoon and put pen to paper.

My mission statement became about material “things” – what position I wanted in my career, by what age, how much money I wanted to make, what car I wanted to drive etc. It didn’t feel right but I couldn’t think of anything else. I was young. Well, younger.

I thought, this couldn't be it. What happens after I get these "things"? Do I write another mission statement? It didn't sound right.

Besides it was too easy to think about material things.

Then I asked the magic question: “Could someone else take this mission statement and call it their own?” And the answer was, “Yes, absolutely!” I knew then that it wasn’t unique to me. It took me four whole days of reflection after that before I discovered that my mission, and hence, my path and my journey.

It was about who I wanted to become, how I would live my life and what’s important to me - my values. It was almost spiritual and it made me cry but once I discovered my true purpose, I recognised that my path was not about what I wanted to have or do but who I wanted to be.

I've not had to change my mission statement ever since because it’s timeless and it’s unique to me. No one else could take my mission statement and put their name to it. No one else could walk my path. Every goal I set checks back with, and is consistent with. my mission and every experience, up or down, is a lesson unique to me. And that’s my story.

No two paths will ever be the same

Our experiences are unique to us. In everyone’s path there will be times when we have to decide if we should take the high road or the low road. There is a life philosophy which says that “The high road has less traffic”. It means that you follow your inner compass and your values, at all times, no matter how challenging it may be. Don't compromise your principles and values just because it feels difficult in the moment. Taking the high road means you can live with yourself and wake up every single day being proud of how you acted, or reacted, when dealt with disappointment.

It means that you had an opportunity to respond in a negative manner, and you chose not to.

The low road is the easy way out, where all the traffic is. It is the quick-fix, the band-aid and you act against not only your values but timeless universal principles. For a moment, you lose your inner compass and you give up your values. You might think that the low road is the faster way and soon you’ll be back on the high road. You can’t stray onto the low road thinking you can come back on the high road when it’s convenient to do so. We are the collective sum of our thoughts, choices, and actions. Character is indivisible.

You Are Your Path

You are the one who must walk your path. You can’t have someone else walk your path for you and neither can you walk somebody else’s path for them. When you look at someone else’s achievements do you feel envious? Do you start comparing yourself with them and stray onto a path strewn with limiting beliefs where you allow yourself to feel diminished, unaccomplished and doubt your own capabilities and potential?

That is their path and you have your own - your skills, your capabilities, your strengths, your goals, dreams and aspirations put you on a different path with different opportunities and different outcomes. It’s ok not to get the same results as someone else. Your path is a collection of your unique experiences - comparing your achievements with someone else’s and feeling inadequate because of it is self-sabotage.

You may use another person's experience to motivate you to do something about your life or your career but never to diminish your value.

As we travel our path, we can plan and chart where we want to go next but we cannot choose the outcome. We accept the outcomes and so our path might change, and that’s ok. The important thing is that we have purpose, values and beliefs which we've incorporated into our mission and we live it.

Experience spices up our lives and makes our story interesting. It makes each of us different from one another - unique. Each of us will have a different mission in life. If experience turns our life upside down, it gives us the opportunity to chart a whole new path, but it’s our path. It may inspire us to change our beliefs and give new meaning to the values we held close to our hearts and lived, or it may give us a whole new realisation about our values. It may pull us into a new upward spiral. Embrace it, reconnect with our values and follow the path. Our mission, if it comes deep from our inner being, doesn't change. That's the power of a personal mission statement.

Coach Rohaizan

Get to know me at Rohaizan.com