Crossman, Harold wrote:
> As part of my Lesley College School of Management program I've been asked
> to devise a personal mission statement. To begin this process, I extended
> Stephen Covey's universal statement described in his book
> "Principle-Centered Leadership."
> His statement: "To improve the economic well-being and quality of life for
> all stakeholders"
> I modified his statement to bring it to a personal level: "I would like to
> make enough money from my labor (economic well-being) to enjoy a secure
> and comfortable life in which my family and myself (stakeholders) can
> thrive and grow individually and together (quality of life).
> I like this except for the omission of action. There is no "how to move
> toward the goals." Implied actions include life-long learning, etc. It is
> also missing a societal component, but that is implied as well. I still
> have a gut feeling that my statement is not as complete as I would like
> it.
> What do you think? Does it need the "how" part? Is it better without the
> "how"? How about my role in society? What do you think of personal
> mission statements in general?
I think it's excellent to focus your personal mission (vision, purpose,
etc.) on something much larger than yourself. Over the last five years
I've worked on and refined my purpose in life. It does not say anything
about my economic well-being or the economic well-being of my family. It
simply reads:
WHY I EXIST?
I exist to discover my own inherent greatness, and to help others do the
same. This is how I will show my love for others.
I will accomplish this by giving meaningful service in my family, my
church, my country and my work.
That's it. Three sentences. The first draft, if I remember correctly, was
about four pages long. It's taken me five years to get to the heart of the
matter. It now reflects my deepest ambitions and wants. I hope what I've
said is helpful.
Ben
-- Ben Compton The Accidental Learning Group Work: (801) 222-6178 Improving Business through Science and Art bcompton@geocities.com http://www.e-ad.com/ben/BEN.HTMLearning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>