How to Create a Personal Mission Statement
- Frank Manfre
- Jan 6
- 2 min read
A mission statement captures the heart of your reason for being. A solid mission statement calls for you to dig deep, which can make writing it a challenge. This process can be broken down into three steps:
1) Start With the Basics
Mission statements can be one sentence to several paragraphs, and there’s a lot that they can include. You may want go into detail about how you serve others and your community. In its most basic form, it should capture:
What you offer and why you offer it
Who you serve, your “target audience”
What makes you different and distinctive - in business terms it would be your Unique Value Proposition and it sets you apart
2) Piece it Together
When you determine the what, who, and why you have the nuts and bolts of your mission statement figured out. Then it’s time to blend them into an easily read statement. Begin rearranging the pieces, swapping out different words, and making other changes to come up with a few potential statements. Don’t feel like you’re married to the first version. The more options you create, the more flexibility you have to land on something that captures the essence of who you are.
3) Collect Feedback & Refine
Your mission statement captures you as a whole, which means you can’t write it in a vacuum. Make sure it does you justice by welcoming other viewpoints. Collect feedback from your partner, mentors, teammates, leaders, and loyal clients. Ask them questions such as:
Which of these statements do you like the most? Why?
Which of these statements do you like the least? Why?
Is there anything that you think these statements are missing?
Frank Manfre
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