Surefire Ways to Live Out Your Mission Statement

Published by Guest on June 28th, 2007 in Productivity, Work/Life | 3 Comments

Mike St. Pierre is a sought-after speaker and author. He hosts The Daily Saint, a productivity blog focusing on work-life balance. Visit www.thedailysaint.com for more information.

As I'm writing this, my wife and I are about to celebrate our 9^th wedding anniversary and we both laugh whenever I mention the phrase "mission statement??. There we were, newly married and steeped in the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People methodology and of course I wanted to create a family mission statement. The only problem was that I wrote it by myself and hadn't a clue as to how one lives out a mission statement. Cary sort of tagged along, supporting my personal improvement kick. Now, a few years older and hopefully wiser, I can say that I have a better understanding of how to create and then follow through on a mission statement. What follow are my surefire ways for living out one's mission statement:

Start with your gut. As you begin to draft a mission statement (or edit if you already have one) it's important to listen to your gut. Where are you at right now in life? For example, if you're at a low point, your mission might be written with a hint of recapturing balance or control. On the other hand, if you're a top-flight performer, your mission might be more about getting to the next level or sustaining high levels of success. Start with your gut.

Write and then write again. No mission statement can take place solely through internal dialogue. Get it out of your head and onto paper. Be bold, putting down words and phrases that capture who you want to be. Write "me?? in the middle of the page and then write down every blessed adjective that describes who you are and who you want to be. Now, draw lines from "me?? to each adjective, forming a web of descriptors. Next, highlight or circle those words that really resonate with who you want to be. Let it flow as you continue in the discernment phase. I generally take about 5-10 pages of paper when I go through a major overhaul of my mission so grab a notebook and get right to it! Write and then write again.

Keep it simple. Can there be any better advice? It was Thoreau who said, in the 19^th century "Our life is frittered away by detail… simplify, simplify.?? I believe that a good mission statement is simple to the core. It must be if it is to be clear and focused on results. While most organizational mission statements are complex and lengthy, we can learn from such success stories as Eddie Bauer who've managed to keep things rather brief, "To give you such outstanding quality, value, service, and guarantee that we may be worthy of your high esteem.?? Your mission statement should reflect the way that you think and should sound the way that you speak. Keep it simple.

Make it universal. Great mission statements apply to both work and life. Let your mission be one of universal application- work, home, community, etc. Rather than having one mission for work and one for my role as a husband and dad, I've whittled it down to one seamless mission statement that works for me and you can easily do the same. Make it universal.

Memorize and recite daily. Of course you'll want to memorize your mission and then recite it daily. You may want to order some free business cards from www.vistaprint.com and put one in your purse or breast pocket as you start the day. This will remind you of who you want to be and what you're all about. Create a recitation ritual where you say your mission in the same place and at the same time. I generally recite my mission at the end of my morning quiet time and before the day gets crazy. Memorize and recite daily.

Evaluate annually. The hard work is done and now all you have to do is evaluate on an annual basis. Why not take a day off to get away, by yourself and put down on paper the ways that you've found success (and maybe some failure too!) with your mission statement. Consider it a "missional retreat?? where you can be alone with your thoughts. This can be done around New Year's or at some other time of year that works for you. Your mission statement may last for five years or for only one but stepping back and evaluating keeps your perspective fresh and your mind clear. Evaluate annually.

Mission statements work as long as they are created with thoughtfulness and simplicity. Following through by daily recitation and evaluation then makes your statement concrete and gives it the space to guide you to higher levels of success. Go for it!

Want to know my mission? Send me an email or post a comment and I'll be glad to share my statement with you. You can email me at mike@mikestpierre.com