As I look at 2023 (which, as I write this, begins in about 12 hours), I am thinking about how I can make this my best year yet. A reoccurring theme I’ve been bumping up against, something that stalls progress, is my lack of direction. There’s so much I want to do and so many things I want to know that I cannot determine a single path to move forward. So I sit in the same spot, reading books, journal articles, research studies, blog posts, website content, and, heck, the back of cereal boxes if it will help, looking for that “aha” moment.

This morning it dawned on me that if I were starting a business I would start with a mission statement – a written expression of why my business exists. Why not write a mission statement for myself? Would that help me move forward?

I figured I have nothing to lose, so I am going to give it a try. First, though I wanted to find out what elements should be included in a mission statement, so I did a little research which I thought I would share with you.

Inc.com had some great tips in its post “4 Elements of All Successful Mission Statements,” advising that you should make them simple, compelling, measurable, and continuously relevant.

Those elements were interesting and gave me a lot to consider, but I thought a personal mission statement might be a little different than one written for a Fortune 500 company. So I dug a little deeper.

Indeed.com offered some great advice and a template in its article “How to Write a Personal Mission Statement” —

TEMPLATE: I will [action] for [audience] by [skills] to [desired result].

Your mission statement can be personal (how you want to live your life, interact with those closest to you, achieve wellness, etc.) or professional (how you want to be seen in the workplace, a career you want to have, a role you want within your company, etc.). Or it could be a combination and address all aspects of your life.

The mission statement not only focuses you on a path it also identifies your highest priorities. When you identify your path and your priority, you can focus your actions and eliminate clutter that no longer serves you or doesn’t help you achieve your purpose. For example, if your mission statement is focused on being a positive influence on others, you will find that you no longer want to engage in negative behaviors, such as gossiping about others or not modeling healthy habits.

While a personal mission statement can be a guide that will last you throughout your life, I also think that it can evolve and change over time, and you should give yourself permission to modify or even discard a mission statement that is no longer relevant. For example, as a parent of young children, you might have a mission statement to inspire your children to be the best and happiest versions of themselves through supportive and engaged parenting. However, when your children are grown and out on their own (and living their best, happiest lives because you accomplished that mission), you might change your statement to focus more on yourself.

I recommend you post your mission statement in several places where you can see it every day. Make it a screen saver on your computer, put a note on your bathroom mirror so you see it every morning, use a magnet to display it on your refrigerator, and so on. Write it, see it, live it. Just like a strategic plan, a mission statement that is allowed to gather dust at the back of your mental closet is just a bunch of words on a page.

So as we say goodbye to 2022 – and HELLO to 2023 – join me in taking some time to write your own personal mission statement. And then make it your goal to live it every day. Imagine how much your life might be changed on December 31, 2023, when you focus your life and priorities upon a single path.