We all know that having a solid personal vision is essential but can be hard to do.
Most of us don’t spend enough time thinking about what we want out of life and how we can get there. This leaves us feeling unfulfilled and unhappy with our lives.
Writing your own personal mission statement helps you figure out who you are and what you want in life. It’s an investment in yourself that will pay off for the rest of your life!
Key Points
- Personal vision and mission statements can empower you to live a life by design
- Too often, we go through life without a plan or idea of what we want.
- Taking the time to create your own personal vision and mission statement, you’re able to figure out who you are and what you want in life.
Why Personal Vision and Missions Statements are Important
I have recently rewritten my coaching practice’s personal vision/mission statement. It dawned on me that my professional vision is inextricably linked to my personal vision. Having a career representing my own vision has enabled me to establish a business life that genuinely reflects who I am.
Businesses are well aware of the importance of vision and mission statements. They work hard at enlisting their staff and getting them on board. This is a big thing at the company where I work. Each year, the company rolls out its vision and mission statements.
Each of us adapts that to our own personal visions and mission statements. It also includes measurable objectives to achieve each point in the vision and mission statements. We refer to this with our manager throughout the year and gauge where we are.
The vision and mission statements steer the business in the direction they want. This is what is leading growth in the company. Many of us have spent many hours developing these statements for our workplaces. We’re contributing to their vision as team members.
Like a company, we have a purpose or mission in life as human beings.
What if we invested the same amount of time discovering who we are and what we want for ourselves? Personal vision and mission statements can serve as the foundation for a purposeful life. In contrast to a goal, a vision or purpose is seldom altered. It is the raison d’être of notre existence. It directs our actions and judgments.
Writing Your Personal Vision and Mission Statements
Guys, if you’re feeling lost and disappointed in life, it’s time to get tough. It’s time to stop doing what feels good and start doing what is right. You need a personal mission statement that will show you the way.
Every man on a journey of self-discovery needs three things. These are a personal vision/mission statement, an accountability partner, and a mentor.
These three tools put into practice will change your life for the better. And in ways that go far beyond simple fulfillment and happiness. They’ll provide direction and meaning when you need them most… which is always!
A Personal Mission Statement
Your personal mission statement expresses your values, purpose, passions, and life vision. It reflects the person you are now while envisioning who you will become. Your personal mission statement helps you to immediately change how you see yourself.
It can propel you forward to where you want to be one year from now, five years from now, and beyond. Your personal mission statement is a living, breathing document that becomes more powerful the longer you live it.
An Accountability Partner
Every man, at some point, needs an accountability partner. It helps to stay the course of his journey of self-discovery. If you don’t have someone to discuss struggles, fears, and progress along the way, it’s hard to succeed. When it comes to manifesting achievement and success in your life, accountability is the most potent force on the planet.
A Mentor
A man on a journey of self-discovery needs someone who can provide guidance and encouragement along the way. This mentor doesn’t have to be an expert; they need only have walked the path longer than you. They can be a coach, life or business strategist, friend, or family member who is part of your support system.
The Foundation for Your Personal Vision
Four critical foundation blocks must be in place to create lasting change. Whether you are just beginning on your journey of self-discovery or have been walking it for some time. Approach your journey with these four blocks firmly in place. This will ensure the path to achieving your Personal Vision becomes clear. And it can be much simpler than you might think.
Your Personal Values
Your values consist of the principles that drive your life, for example, honesty, integrity, loyalty, etc. They reflect in the commitments you make to yourself and others. Also, your values provide a road map for making decisions. They give you direction to help you determine whether you’re headed in the right direction.
Your Purpose
Your purpose defines who you are and helps focus your energy on importance. It provides clarity on how to spend each day of your life and the wisdom to effectively manage your time. Your purpose also provides direction when you feel lost and wonder if the path forward is correct.
Your Passions
Your passions define what makes your heart tick, what lights you up inside. Your passion serves as an inner guide that pushes you to explore new experiences. It’s drawing strength from past successes in similar situations. Your passions also attract people, opportunities, and events to help you achieve your life’s vision.
Your Life Vision
Your life vision is the destination on the horizon. It’s that place where dreams become a reality. Where passion meets the purpose and your values are demonstrated through wise decision-making. When you know what you want to create in your life, you can take small, incremental steps. These will help move you forward on your journey toward achieving it.
Your Personal Vision
Are you feeling lost or unfulfilled in your life? Do you feel like something is missing, but you’re unsure what it is? It may be that you haven’t yet defined your personal vision and mission statement.
A personal vision statement is a picture of your True Self in the future. A compelling personal vision includes all the crucial elements of your life and career. It should be who you want to be, what you want to do, how you want to feel, what you want to own, and who you want to associate with.
Close your eyes and try to imagine yourself in the future. It might be a few months or years from now. Consider who you are, what you are doing, who you are with, what you have done, what is important to you, and how others see you. What does it feel like to be you? Feel as the person you are, your actual self.
Open your eyes and look at your life and yourself in the current moment through those eyes. You will begin to see the adjustments you must make to respect this vision and live a great life.
Although your personal vision helps you see the future, it must be grounded in the present. It is a statement of who you are and who you are becoming. It is the framework for your life’s purpose and where you are headed.
A Personal Vision Statement is a future-based picture of who you are in all crucial areas of your life. Before beginning this exercise, ask yourself these questions:
1) Who do I want to be?
2) What do I want to do?
3) How do I feel when living my life’s purpose?
4) What do I value and care about the most in life and work?
5) Who would be necessary for my life if I were leading a powerful, purposeful life?
6) What kinds of things will I own in my life?
7) Where do I want to live and be active in work and play in the world?
Your Personal Vision Statement should include all of the crucial elements to you.
When you have completed your statement, read it aloud at least once a day for 30 days until it sounds natural and believable.
Your Personal Mission Statement
A Personal Mission Statement is how you will live out your Personal Vision in your everyday life. It is written down. Isn’t it a “to do” list? Your uniqueness should show in it, and it should make you think about who you are and who you are becoming.
You can be where you are and still be going somewhere else. The only place you can start is right now. Doing what you want does not mean that everything will be different in a single day. But things will change. Your personal mission statement gives you the steps you need to take to get there.
Your Personal Mission Statement should answer three questions:
- What is my life about (Purpose)?
- What do I stand for (Values)?
- What actions do I take to manifest my Purpose and my Values?
Stephen Covey says that an empowering Mission Statement represents the best and the deepest parts of your own self. It is because you have a solid connection to your inner life. In other words, it is the use of your own unique abilities. It’s a way for you to show how much you can help.
It addresses and integrates the four most critical human needs and abilities. The physical, social, mental, and spiritual dimensions. It includes everything important to you. It’s a symbol of a balance of personal, family, work, and community roles that you think you should play in your life.
It’s written to make you feel good, not impress anyone else. It tells you and inspires you what you need to know and do in the most basic sense.
“Creating a Personal Mission Statement will be, without question, one of the most powerful and significant things you will ever do to take leadership of you life. In it you will identify the most important roles, relationships, and things in your life – who you want to be, what you want to do, to whom and what you want to give your life, the principles you want to anchor your life to, the legacy you want to leave. All the goals and decisions you will make in the future will be based upon it. It’s like deciding first which wall you want to lean your ladder of life against, and then beginning to climb. It will be a compass – a strong source of guidance amid the stormy seas and pressing, pulling currents of you life.”
Stephen Covey, author of The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People
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What does it take to live a life of purpose, meaning, and fulfillment?
We’ve all heard the cliche “find your passion” but what if you don’t know what that is or can’t find it? Many men are struggling with this question. We grew up in a world where we were told we could be anything we wanted to be. Now that reality has set in, many feel lost and adrift. I’ve been there.
But there’s hope, even without knowing exactly what you want to do with your life yet. You can take steps today to start living a more fulfilling existence. Here are six tips for men who want their lives back:
1) Get an honest assessment from someone who knows you well about where you are now and where you want to go.
2) Start living in alignment with your values, not just your desires. Your actions should reflect the person you want to be; otherwise, nothing will change.
3) Avoid deferring life decisions until some later date because an unknown future situation might make it easier. Live with intention now.
4) Explore your options—including change, growth, and new adventures. Some things you thought you’d like may not turn out as expected. Likewise, you might be surprised at the excitement of something very different.
5) Don’t be afraid to make mistakes along the way. What’s important is doing it as best as possible and having the courage to try something different if it doesn’t work.
6) Be true to yourself. Other people may give advice, but, in the end, only you truly know what is right for you.
What does a fulfilling life mean to me?
I want a fulfilling life to mean peace, happiness, and fulfillment. It means having goals I set for myself, working towards them, achieving them, and coming up with new ones. A fulfilling life is one where I’m surrounded by the people who love me the most and make me feel safe. For my life to be fulfilling, it needs to mean that I have a purpose in this world. And that what I’m doing is making a difference in the lives of others.
What do I stand for?
I want to say that I stood for equality, love, kindness, happiness, healthiness, peace, passion, confidence, faithfulness, and trustworthiness. I also want to be known as someone willing to fight for what he believed in, even if it meant going against the grain.
What actions am I taking to manifest my purpose and values?
I’m trying to become a better man every day by reading new books on living a more fulfilling life. I am learning from people who have been successful at achieving their goals. One of my main goals is to work out every day, and I’ve been very successful at that.
Another thing I’m focusing on is surrounding myself with positive and uplifting people. People who actually lift me up rather than bringing me down. And I’m not committing to anything in my life for longer than a month.
Key Takeaways
The development of a Personal Vision/Mission may assist you in landing a new job or making your current career more productive for you. The greater the degree to which your Personal Vision/Mission is tied to yourself, the more effective it may direct your profession and your life.
If you’re struggling to find your purpose in life, the six tips for men listed above are an excellent place to start. The most important thing is that you take steps towards living with intention now. Don’t wait until later when an unknown future situation might make it easier.
Take time to explore your options, and don’t be afraid of making mistakes along the way. What’s important is doing it as best as possible. Be willing to try something different if “it doesn’t work.” Be true to yourself. Surround yourself with positive people who help you thrive instead of bringing you down. Finally, ask someone close enough to know what they think would fulfill them. Or where their values lie so that you can align your own actions accordingly.
If you’re able to do this, you’ll find your Personal Vision/Mission and live a more fulfilling life.
“Good questions outrank easy answers.” – Paul A. Samuelson (American economist)
- How do you find meaning in life?
- What is your personal vision statement?
- What are your core values?
- What is your mission statement?
- How do you stay on track with your personal goals?
Want more? Get the free guide “Quiet Confidence: A Men’s Guide to Living a Free, Authentic, Joyful, Centered, & Purposeful Life“
This workbook will introduce mindfulness as a foundation for living a more deliberate, authentic, purposeful life of peace, freedom, health, and fulfillment.
