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Concept

Personal Mission Statement

A personal mission statement is a short written creed, anchored in principles rather than in your job, money or other people, that you use to decide what to do when circumstances shift.

Stephen Covey observed that everyone already has a centre, whether they chose it or not. It is the thing you check, often without noticing, to know whether you are okay and what to do next. For many busy people that centre is the job, the bank balance, a partner's mood or a rival they keep measuring themselves against. Each deserves care, but each moves. A reorganisation, a bad quarter or a cold evening at home can shift your whole sense of direction. A mission statement makes the centre deliberate. You write down the principles you want to live by, such as honesty, contribution and fairness. You also name the roles you care about, such as parent, colleague or friend. Principles do not change when the market does, so the statement stays steady under pressure. It is not a slogan for the wall. It is a test you run on real choices. Expect to revise it for months before it sounds like you.

A real-life example

Daniel, a project lead in Manchester, is offered a promotion that pays 20% more but keeps him on the road four days a week. His old centre, the salary, says yes instantly. His statement reads: "I do work I would sign my name to, and I am home for my daughters' evenings." Measured against that, the offer fails on the second line. He asks for a version with two travel days instead and gets most of it.

How to use it

  1. 1Write a first draft in twenty minutes. List the three or four principles you most want to act from. Then add one sentence for each role you play, such as parent, manager or friend, describing who you want to be in it.
  2. 2Test it on a real decision this week. If the statement gives no clear answer, it is too vague. Rewrite the line that failed until it would have guided you.
  3. 3Reread it at your weekly review and revise freely for the first few months. A statement you never edit is usually one you never use.