Posts Tagged ‘personal mission statement’
Are You Living the Dream? Part 1: What I want to be when I grow up

Are you still trying to decide what to be when you grow up? Regardless of what you consider grown up: Are you doing what you want to right now? How did you get here?
When I blasted out to my Facebook friends asking them about “What did you want to be when you grow up?” I got varied responses and some said they are still trying to figure it out. But one good friend sticks out in my mind when she said: “I certainly didn’t want to be a Dish Washer when I grew up.”
Your story is different from my story but what might be the common thread is that you may be in a life that you feel trapped or it is in conflict with your values. What I mean by this is not that your boss may be asking you to steal….but perhaps you have a strong value for creativity, and you are auditing spreadsheets every day!! Ugh!
Are you really hearing that voice inside of you that is dissatisfied? Is your value freedom? Freedom from feeling trapped by a job? Or is your value security? Do you like having a secure job? None of these values are wrong, they are yours and you should own them.
YOUR PERSONAL MISSION STATEMENT
Some are struggling with clarity about what is their true calling in life. I still don’t know what I want to be when I grow up!!! And let me tell you that this is okay too because no one needs to decide right now. But when you find that calling, you will know it because you will stay awake all night and be excited all day to bring into fruition your new found occupation.
Perhaps also, we should view this from another angle: Instead of deciding what you want to DO every day to create money (which is what so many people fall prey to) What do you want to BE???
One tool that I use to determine what I want to be is a personal mission statement. It is simple to write a personal mission statement here is mine.
My personal mission statement defines what I want to be:
• I want to be a creative entrepreneur that makes passive income allowing me time and money to spend with my family, to also have adventure, and help others lead successful lives.
No where does this say what industry I will work in, nowhere does this exclude me from certain things. This is important because your mission statement should be flexible to allow for a change of mind, yet be structured enough to give you a roadmap. This mission statement outlines your personal values, what you want to BE and what you WILL achieve by being this person. My personal values are tightly linked to freedom, time and helping others. What are your values? Honesty? Power? Family? Love? Adventure? Etc…
What values do you think are important to you? What do you like doing and as a result, what might you like to be?
I found great satisfaction in working as a Paramedic because I was able to both have adventure and help others. Yet, it ended up not being totally fulfilling because it did not allow me the time with my family that I needed.
Experiment with your personal mission statement. I would love to hear it! What’s holding you back from Living your Dream?
Recommended Reading:
The Monk and the Riddle by Randy Komisar
Crush It! Gary Vaynerchuk
Refuse to Choose by Barbara Sher
