How to create a personal mission statement:
An example of a good mission statement

I’m going to ask a few questions, and let you write your own answers.

How long an answer? Conceivably, you could have very terse answers (say, a brief sentence for each question). At the other extreme, you could find that each question opens up floodgates, that one thing leads to another, and you find yourself writing volumes…

My suggestion is that you let yourself write all that you’re inspired to write… but that you also make sure to have a concise summary (one short sentence or two) for each question. This way, there is no ambiguity as to what your answer is.

Now, for the first question:
What are you happy about?

Take a moment to write your answer (and, if it’s long, to summarize it).

Then off we go to the next question:
What are you not so happy about?

Here again, take a moment to write your answer.

And we go on to the third question:
What are you going to do to change what you’re not so happy about?

Write your answer.

We now come to the last question:
What, specifically, are you going to do this coming week?

Write your answer. Save the document. And look at the document a week from now.

As you go through this process, you’re practicing two key elements of a proactive approach:
- You are setting goals
- You are accountable for these goals.

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