The Power of a Personal Mission Statement
I want to share a powerful concept with you. One that has the power to change the whole trajectory of your life.
It’s been said that every New Year’s Eve we ring out the old and ring in the new and then the next morning we’re all rung out. It’s not unusual to make a New Year’s Resolution every New Year’s Eve. You know the top three resolutions (1) to lose weight, (2) to spend less and (3) to save more. And when we look back a year later, we wonder what happened to those resolutions? For some, we feel we wasted another year and wish we had been more directed and more focused.
In reality, New Year’s resolutions don’t pack near the power of a Personal Mission Statement (PMS). Personal Mission Statements provide a powerful way to remold and reshape our lives. A few key words bring clarity, power, focus, vision and direction to our lives. They are transformational. So, do you have a Personal Mission Statement to live by? If not, let’s get started. Ready, set, Grow!
Experts tell us that there are three key ingredients to a Mission Statements. They are:
(1) No more than one sentence long. Actually, even a phrase will do. Thomas Edison was all about light and sound. Henry Ford wanted an affordable, mass produced car, (by the way, he said, if he would have asked people what they wanted they would have said a faster horse), Ray Krock was looking for a fast, cheap hamburger, Steven Jobs saw a computer in every home.
(2) Simple enough for even a child to understand. You should be able to repeat you PMS at any time. If someone stopped you at gunpoint and asked give me your money or you PMS, you would be able to rattle it off in a heartbeat. J. F. Kennedy wanted to land a man on the moon and return safely to earth in less than a decade. In 1969, Neil Armstrong put a footprint on the moon. A powerful reminder of the vision and power of a Mission Statement.
(3) Deeply embedded into the core of our being. A PMS defines us. It’s what we really live for. We put it on the mantle over our fireplace. We wear it on the back of our tee shirts. This is what gets me up and out of bed every morning. It puts fire in my bones. It is my passion. It is what my life is really committed to. It helps me know what to let go of and what to move towards.
Have you ever noticed that great organizations have great Mission Statements?
Pop Quiz! Which organizations have the following Mission Statements? (1). To organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible? (2) To be a place where people can buy anything they want at any time, online. (3) To connect the world’s professionals. (4)To provide a global trading platform. (5) To be a place of global sharing and connecting. (6) To make a secure payment solution. (7) To bring an electric car to market.
Ok, you know the answers: (1) Google. (2) Amazon (3) LinkedIn (4) eBay (5) Facebook (6) PayPal (7) Tesla. Whether we agree with their ethics or values, we acknowledge that, great focus leads to great impact.
Can you see the value of a clearly defined Mission Statement? They empower organizations to do something amazing and delightful.
Now, great organizations have great Mission Statements, and so do great people. Who said my mission is to (1) to lead the nation out of depression (2) to eliminate racism in our nation (3) to end apartheid (4) to show mercy and compassion on the poor and dying? You got it, (1) Franklin Delano Roosevelt. (2) Martin Luther King. (3) Nelson Mandela. (4) Mother Teresa.
Great companies and great people have great Mission Statements.
Great people in the Bible have great Mission Statements. Name these Personal Mission Statements: (1) To be a servant of the Lord. (2) To be strong and of good courage. (3) To prepare people for the coming of Jesus. (4) To seek and save the lost. (5) To reach the world with the saving message of Jesus. Yep, (1) Moses, (2) Joshua (3) John (4) Jesus (5) Paul.
These great people had a great impact on their world. They had a crystal-clear reason for their existence. They were crystal clear on their focus, mission and purpose. Why do I exist? Why did God create me?” Why am I here? What unique mission do I have to fulfill? What does God want me to do with my one and only life?
Once we get a laser like focus on our reason for existence, we can make a significant impact on what that is to be. It might be to be the best mother ever. The best husband and father, The leader, the best servant. Whatever it is, our mission statement becomes our north star, it’s what fuels us, drives us, directs us.
I think I know what it was for Paul, Philippians 1:21 “For me to live is Christ and to die is to gain more of Him.” I want to live fully for Jesus and if I die, I get to gain more of Him. It’s hard to stop a Mission Statement like that. He has nothing to lose. Only gain.
Now, if great organizations, great people and great Biblical leaders have great Personal Mission Statements, what about you and me?
Psalm 119:13 says, “For you formed my inward parts, you knitted me together in my mother's womb. 14 Praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.”
That means, you and I are hand crafted and hand made. There are not two of us, we are unique of all the billions of people who have ever lived. There is no eye, no heart, no fingerprint, no DNA is like yours and mine. We are unique. God made each of us for a one of a kind reason. You could call it our Personal Mission.
Here is the miracle of creation and childbirth. I have a fearful, reverent, wonderful, distinct, one of a kind, set apart purpose. I am handcrafted and hand shaped by God. Before creation He called me into existence! I have a reason and a purpose. He wants me know why I exist, why am I here and what He wants me to do.
So, my purpose for living (1) is one sentence or phrase, (2) it is simple enough for a child to understand, (3) it is deeply embedded into my being and DNA. It is who I am!
It is my Operating System. It is hard wired. It is why I exist. It is more powerful than all that has happened to me in the past. It provides a pathway to lead me into the future. It keeps me on course. It helps make sense of each and every day. It gives me an eternal perspective form an infinite vantage point.
So, what is your Personal Mission Statement, uniquely assigned by God? Every moment matters. Get to the core of things. Don’t let anything get you off track. When you capture that kind of vision for your life, you will become a new person. Your life will be on fire. You will be filled with energy, passion and commitment.
So, no matter where you find yourself at this moment, no matter what life stage, situation or challenge, invest your one and only life in your Godly assigned calling and mission for you. Ready, set, grow!
