This blog post is part of a four-part series on the stress busting power of a personal mission statement. We believe that personal mission statements limit negative stress and provide guidelines for a satisfying life. We will provide insight into how personal mission statements work and provide guidance so that you can write your own.
Do you have a personal mission statement? If not, you should. A personal mission statement summarizes who a person is and how they interact and relate to the world around them. Essentially, it tells others what you are about or what floats your boat. The power, however, behind a personal mission statement is its capacity to guide your life.
In a previous blog post, I outlined three ways a personal mission statement provides guidelines for living. Following these guidelines limits negative stress. I will outline them here.
Three Important Parts
A personal mission statement limits negative stress by providing:
Clarity of Purpose – clarity of purpose allows the mission holder to focus their energy, attention, and movement toward the fulfillment of the mission. Most missions are never completed. We work to fulfill them. All thoughts, feelings, actions, and behaviors must align with the stated mission. Once the mission holder moves in the direction of their stated mission, it allows them to push aside unnecessary baggage and distractions.
Thoughtful Decisions – decision making is easier. All decisions are made based on how well the decision aligns with the mission statement. The mission holder looks beyond making a good or bad decision. They consider how the decision influences or impacts the mission statement. Decisions that do not support the stated mission stand out.
Filtering – the mission statement provides a filter for thoughts, feelings, and reactions. When a thought does not align with the spirit or intent of the mission statement, the mission holder can simply discard it. We tend to hold on to thoughts and feelings that do not support health and well-being. By filtering our thoughts and feelings through the stated mission, we can respond in a way that affirms the mission.
Your Life Vision
Think of a personal mission statement as a living, breathing organism that grows and develops as you grow. It begins with your vision for your life.
What do you want your life to look like? How do you want to live? Who will be a part of your life? Where will you live? When will these events take place? Most of us spend little time developing a vision for our lives. A vision is more than a fleeting thought or dream. A vision is an in-depth look into the future.
A standard question during a job interview is “where do you see yourself in five years?” Most interviewees have a practiced answer that they believe is acceptable to the interviewer. The answer is usually work related. The question, however, should garner a comprehensive answer that addresses the interviewees’ life.
I ask you now, where do you see yourself in five years? Describe what you desire. Include how you feel daily. Describe what you feel and how others around you feel. Your vision should include descriptions based on your five senses. Those are sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell.
Describe the first draft of your vision without filtering. This means that you will not exclude something because you feel it is not attainable. Likewise avoid including possessions only because they sound good. For example, you may include owning a Porche 911 Carrera in your vision. If so, answer the question, how will owning this car make me feel? What else can cause me to have this feeling? Is it the car I want or the feeling I believe it will cause?
Once you have a clear vision of your life, then it is time to clarify the values that will drive your mission statement. In the next blog post, we will discuss gaining an understanding of your core values.
What are You Going to Do?
I am showing working women step by step how to development a personal mission statement during “Stress Talk” Live with Marcyline Bailey. This 30 minute program is broadcast every Sunday at 4pm on the M.L Bailey Consultants Facebook page and on YouTube. Join us weekly.
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“Here is to your sustainable, successful and satisfying stress managed life.”
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