A couple of months ago, I shared the process of writing my personal mission statement on the blog. I started by defining my personal core values, translated that into my personal mission statement and followed through by making guidelines and goals.
At the time I used a Dutch website that guides that process and gives examples of the values and mission statements of other people. Although it’s important to really connect to your own values and define your own mission statement, examples are a great way to get inspired. They also can open your eyes to areas of your life that you may have unwillingly left out.
My blogging friend Stephen of Productivity in Context came up with the idea of building a list of personal mission statements, and asked several fellow bloggers to participate. So this post is an attempt to build a list of examples of mission statements of the readers of How to be an Original. But I’m also very interested to know how you use them, or why you’re not making one.
Have it or hate it? … personal core values, mission statements?
Do you have … (or hate)
- Personal core values?
- A personal mission statement?
- A guiding principle?
How do you use them …
- All the time in everyday life?
- Only when the going gets really tough?
- Only on new years eve?
I’ll kick off with mine in the comments…
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You can be an Original too!
Lodewijkvdb
Wed 2008.02.27
So here are my five personal core values:
Love – Fun – Freedom – Authenticity – Growth
And my mission statement:
I, Lodewijk van den Broek, love life and have a lot of love to give. I enjoy authentic growth and I help others to grow. I’m here to have lots of fun and enjoy my freedom in comfort and vitality.
I use the values more often than my mission statement to be honest. They let me really connect to my inner self and remind me of what’s important to me.
My mission statement reflects how I want to expand these values in my life. This is the guiding compass when I set my goals. And the goals in turn are useful on a day to day (or week to week) basis.
But I mess up a lot of the times too. I get stressed up, stray away from my path and values, and go down wrong paths as well. But I think I get back quicker to my path, because I have consciously thought about it…
@Stephen | Productivity in Context
Wed 2008.02.27
Hi, thanks for participating. I think that this is going to be fun and educational.
HD BizBlog- The Blog: Productivity in Context » Blog Archive » Submit Your Own Mission Statement
Wed 2008.02.27
[...] Lodewijk at How to Be an Original [...]
Alli
Wed 2008.02.27
I would like to use the site, but I don’t speak or read Dutch… Do you know of a way we could translate the site? Thanks!
Derrick Kwa
Wed 2008.02.27
I don’t really have a mission statement per se, but I do have a few guiding principles I try to live by.
One of the biggest principles I try to live by is “Go big or don’t go at all”. If I’m going to do something, I want to do it well. If I know I’m not going to do it well – if I don’t have the passion to follow through with it, or if I don’t see a reason behind doing it, for example – I’d rather not do it.
Hope that made sense, and wasn’t too off topic. Great question, though.
Lodewijkvdb
Wed 2008.02.27
@Alli – Usually Google has quite a nice feature at http://translate.google.com/translate_t . However for this site it doesn’t work quite well, because a lot of the text is displayed as pictures or doesn’t get recognized by Google. Maybe there will be an English version one day, the guy who made it is successful enough in the Netherlands
@Derrick – That’s totally ON topic man! A mission statement doesn’t have to be big, elaborate or whatever. A simple guiding principle is sometimes all it takes to stick to your personal path.
Mission Vision and Value - On Purpose | WOWNDADI
Thu 2008.02.28
[...] How to be an origional. [...]
Ann M.
Thu 2008.02.28
Family, Freedom, Creativity, Nature, Growth
Thanks for reminding me to look at my goals! I have a list of goals that I made based on these values. Some goals cover more than one value, i.e. Visit Alaska is Freedom, Nature, and Growth.
Lodewijkvdb
Thu 2008.02.28
Thanks for sharing Ann!
Goals that cover more values can be very powerful. Now I think of it, I haven’t really done that when I described my goals. It’s a good tip to think about that the next time I define new goals. Thanks!
Alaska, wow. That reminds me that I still haven’t written a list of places I want to visit. Macchu Pichu, Easter Island, Patagonia, Pyramids, … I’m going to think about that next week, when I’m on a ski trip in Switzerland.
Sole
Fri 2008.02.29
I found my statement some years ago, through a wonderful little book in spanish. it has been very useful to me: “Im like a way up the mountain, from the ground up to sky” (in spanish the same word cielo means heaven or sky)The whole picture has various meanings to me, Im the way myself for many people, helping them to transform their realities ( ground) into sth good, that goes to God (heaven), maKING their lives nicer; my life too has been a rough way up, I sometimes find help in many people, as I would feel accompanied by nature in my way up, and Ive learned to accept big stones in my way, using them as steps and continue climbing…
Mark Ayers
Tue 2008.03.04
I observe the world and the people in it then re-express what I have observed in ways that allow others to transform their world.
Andre Kibbe
Thu 2008.03.20
To have an impact on the world through continuous thinking, learning and sharing.
David Sandusky
Thu 2008.03.27
A happy and healthy family man who has made a significant impact to the CO community, global leadership and entrepreneurship and is sought after by those who want to make a significant positive impact.