Write Your Life’s Mission TODAY
How can you best describe the mission of your company or your personal mission? A mission is a route you take in life or in business, based on your genuine values.
Let’s take the company mission as an example. We do not love the brand with the best product, most features, or the most innovative product. Loving a brand is not an objective process. We love the brand because of what it represents for us, therefore we love their product.
The reason we stay loyal to brands is because of their values. The brands you love manage to combine physical, emotional, and logical elements into one exceptional customer (and employee) experience that you value as much as they do. Nowhere are those values more visible than in the company’s mission statement.
The same applies to your life’s mission. Your mission statement is meant to define the effect you intend to have on the world around you. It states what you do for yourself, for others, and the approach you follow as you aim to achieve the aspirations you’ve set for yourself. Think of your mission as the journey you will take to achieve your life’s purpose.
Knowing your life’s mission will better guide your decisions, and ensure your professional career path remains aligned with your personal goals. Your life mission will help you see who and what is useful in your life or what you are missing.
Some people discover their mission early in life — some have decided since they were kids that they want to become a ballerina or a doctor and have a laser focus on achieving that. But it’s not as easy for the rest of us.
In my case, since I was a child I started wondering — what am I meant to do? I was a bit terrified it was not clear what I will do, I had no incredible talents like the other kids, I was not a child prodigy and had no hobbies that would give me a hint of my future.
It took me years of pondering, reading personal development books, watching motivation videos and life coach sessions (everyone should get one btw) to build the formula to shape my life’s mission. Hopefully, it works for you too:
1. Priming — Get yourself in the right state
First, you must put yourself in the right state. You cannot just write your life’s mission on the go. Allocate it at least an hour of uninterrupted time. Get yourself a good tea or coffee or a nice treat. Sit somewhere quiet or have some meditative background music.
Now relax — either meditate for a few minutes or just take a few deep breaths with your eyes closed. Once you have done that, you are ready.
2. Ask yourself some hard questions
- Who are you and what do you want to become?
- What do you want to contribute to this world? Why?
- What and who is important to you?
- Who do you want to be remembered by? What would your eulogy sound like?
In this section, you must write everything that comes to mind. Be as specific as possible. Dream big and do not restrict your mind in any way.
3. Find the values that guide you
Tony Robbins recommends you ask yourself this question: “What do my values need to be in order to achieve the destiny I desire and deserve? Brainstorm out a list. Put them in order. See which values you might get rid of and which values you might add in order to create the quality of life you truly want.”
If it’s still hard to see which values stand out for you, one of the following exercises:
A. Go through various moments in your life from your early childhood to adulthood and look for significant moments. Think about what you felt then, what happened, why was that moment valuable. What values showed up?
B. If you have mentors or people you admire, look closely at those personalities. What do they have in common? Why did you choose them as inspiration? What is the impact they make into the world?
4. Write your mission
Now all these scribbles will have to come together in one or two sentences. The format is not strict in any way but it must contain your guiding values and the contribution you want to make in the world.
Some life mission examples:
” I am a strong, determined, and enthusiastic person. I value education because I believe it can help women get involved in politics and become world leaders. The contribution I want to make in the world is to teach women’s studies on policy and law.”
“I am a creative person that can connect art with business in a unique way. I value authenticity and creativity and this is what keeps me happy and enthusiastic. My contribution to the world is to make it more beautiful, to bring new creations for people to love and be delighted. “
Remember, your mission is a process — your mission can change or adapt in time. You can make your mission as measurable and as goal-oriented as you want. The moment it does not work for you anymore or it does not resonate as strongly as in the beginning, you have to do this process again.
5. Make your life’s mission work for you
Make sure your life’s mission is visible to you every day. Print out your mission, write it down or turn it into a beautiful design, painting, art, or whatever works best for you. Place it somewhere where you can see it every day.
Make sure it makes you feel good when you look at it — your life’s mission is meant yo make you will feel happy, motivated, and clear about what you want in your life!
