Mission Statement

Personal mission statement defines your purpose and things that matter to you, giving you the path for life planning.

Three things that go into a personal mission statement are

1. Short summary of your purpose
2. List of core values you would like to see in yourself
3. List of life goals and achievements

• Every historical figure studied during this research had a specific personal mission they were pursuing.
• Having a personal mission statement sets a clear direction for your work, your family, and your life.
• Creating a personal mission statement is the first step to goal achievement.

Personal mission/ purpose can be found in:

• Doing something significant
• Caring for others 
• Overcoming adversity and finding courage during difficult times
  • Review Three Ways to Find the Meaning of Life from Viktor Frankl’s work.

What goes into a personal mission statement.

• Short summary of your purpose and priorities 
  • Examples 
    • Live a life filled with compassion and love towards all living things.
    • Live a life focusing on what is most important, do not live in the past nor in the future, be present in each moment.
    • For a full list of examples read 3 Tips for How to Write a Personal Mission Statement 
•  List the core values you would like to see in yourself.
  • For additional ideas, review the 13 core values from Benjamin Franklin’s  13 Virtues to Focus on And Habits to Develop
  • Another great list of core values comes from Pythagoras.  Review 14 Rules to Live By from Pythagoras.
  • For a full list of other core values read 3 Tips for How to Write a Personal Mission Statement 
• List your life goals and what you would like to achieve in your lifetime.

Further Reading on This Page:

Read through the recommendations and Insights from Historical Figures. 

Review the importance of setting a personal mission statement via Personal Mission Statement Quotes from different historical figures studied.  

1. Focus on spiritual growth and development
2. Maintain healthy family relationships
3. Have a strong network of friends
4. Develop emotional intelligence and self-respect
5. Be purpose-driven and set goals
6. ‘Memento Mori’ remember your mortality
7. Embrace uncertainty
8. Respect the opinions of others but think for yourself
9. Take deliberate actions
10. Be a continuous learner
11. Take care of your physical health
12. Avoid excessive spending
13. Practice generous giving
14. Practice regular retrospection

1. Temperance: Eat not to dullness; drink not to elevation.
2. Silence: Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself; avoid trifling conversation.
3. Order: Let all your things have their places; let each part of your business have its time.
4. Resolution: Resolve to perform what you ought; perform without fail what you resolve.
5. Frugality: Make no expense but to do good to others or yourself; i.e., waste nothing.
6. Industry: Lose no time; be always employed in something useful; cut off all unnecessary actions.
7. Sincerity: Use no hurtful deceit; think innocently and justly, and, if you speak, speak accordingly.
8. Justice: Wrong none by doing injuries, or omitting the benefits that are your duty.
9. Moderation: Avoid extremes; forbear resenting injuries so much as you think they deserve.
10. Cleanliness: Tolerate no uncleanliness in body, clothes, or habitation.
11. Tranquility: Be not disturbed at trifles, or at accidents common or unavoidable.
12. Chastity: Rarely use venery but for health or offspring, never to dullness, weakness, or the injury of your own or another’s peace or reputation.
13. Humility: Imitate Jesus and Socrates.

1. Doing something significant
2. Caring for others 
3. Overcoming adversity and finding courage during difficult times