Having your own personal mission statement is a powerful tool for self-development. It is a tool that guides your actions, planning and decision-making. A good mission statement should mention your core values, vision, beliefs, and long-term goals.
Let’s briefly review how to write a personal mission statement, then look at 50 examples to help you get started, organized by category:
For Life
For College Students
For High School Students
For Teachers
For Leaders
3 Steps To Writing Your Personal Mission Statement
- Think about the things that are most important to you. What are you passionate about? What are your career goals, personal values, and big picture beliefs?
- Review samples and consider using a personal mission statement template or these personal mission statement examples for inspiration.
- Write a short paragraph of 2-5 sentences outlining your goal and how you are going to get there. Be as descriptive as possible.
Personal Mission Statement Examples
For Life
1. “This year, I will dedicate myself to finally losing weight. I will eat right on a daily basis. By doing this, I will gradually lose weight and eventually reach my fitness goals. I will also dedicate myself to daily exercise. I will never skip a day and do whatever it takes to make this a reality. I will also work on my mindset by continually motivating myself with positive affirmations and thinking…”
2. “To repair the damage I have done to family members through my actions. To build real relationships and deeper connections with these people. To make up for the mistakes of the past and apologize for what I have done. In addition to this, I’d also like to reach out to people in my community and forge closer ties with them. Finally, I’d like to assist with various charities and community development projects in my area…”
3. “I want to reach a deeper level of spirituality and inner peace. To find the guiding light which leads towards my North star. To live in harmony and grace with mother nature and with everything and everyone around me. To remain grounded and remind myself how lucky I am. To move into deeper and deeper levels of spiritual bliss. To show others how to do the same and achieve their own goals of gratitude and stillness…”
4. “To use my gifts of intelligence for the benefit and improvement of others. To make use of the wisdom, knowledge, and logical thinking capabilities which God has given me. To put these skills into action and find a way to do good in the world. To assist others in overcoming burdens and reaching their true potential…”
5. “The purpose of this personal statement is to bring balance to my life. My biggest goal right now is to live a balanced life where I can maintain equilibrium between work, play, and friendship. I’d like to stop existing for work and living only for the weekend. Instead, I want to live a stress-free life where I have enough time to relax and pursue my personal goals. By doing this, I also hope to improve my health, vitality, and spiritual well-being…”
6. “To achieve my own personal definition of success and avoid backsliding into old and harmful behaviors. My idea of personal success is something I have yet to discover. At the moment, my goal is simply to continue my journey through life until I find something which inspires me. The goal when doing this is to maintain a healthy lifestyle. I’d also like to learn how to maintain healthy boundaries with other people. Especially those who would seek to harm or control me…”
7. “I want to be a more courageous, outgoing, and positive person. The type of person who always looks on the bright side and sees the glass as half full. The type of person who lives life in a state of serial optimism and truly believes that the best is yet to come! I want to become someone who only thinks positively. I’d like to free myself from the chains of the past!”
8. “To become the best version of myself and overcome the personal challenges I face right now. I’d like to stop living a life in which I manifest the worst possible version of myself. I want to see and experience everything of which I am truly capable of. I want to overcome the negative habits and thought patterns that are holding me back. Only by doing this can I become the person I was always meant to be…”
9. “My personal mission is to enhance the lives of others by making the world a better place. I truly believe that world peace is possible in our lifetimes. The reason why there is strife, war, and discord is simply because people are struggling. All over the world, billions of people are living in desperate poverty. The key to changing the world is simply to help these people. By dedicating my life to charity work, I will create a measurable difference in their lives…”
10. “To always make the right decision and thereby live a better everyday life. My biggest problem in life is that I am far too sloppy when it comes to decision-making. This has to change right now. I am going to become the type of person who can make the best decision every time. Not only that, I want to learn how to do this in only a few seconds—the reason why is because I am sick to death of putting off difficult choices. I want to learn how to make the right decisions. I am also sick of my endless procrastination…”
For College Students
11. “To stop wasting time on video games and put my studies first. My grades and relationships have suffered due to this addiction. From now on, I will limit myself to seven hours per week. Although this may be difficult at first, the stakes are too great. Unless I am able to overcome this problem, I will never live life to its fullest. By the end of this year, I hope to be completely free of video games…”
12. “To stay focused and follow my long-term life goals of getting a good education and making something of myself. For too long, I have drifted mindlessly without an actual plan for my education. This has led to substandard grades, which I am no longer happy with. From now on, I will create actual goals to be able to do well in school. I will also break these down into daily, weekly, monthly milestones for myself…”
13. “To sort out my personal life and put more focus on my studies and goals. From now on, I will never make the same mistake twice. I will stop spending time with negative people. Instead, I will surround myself with positivity and use this energy to create the environment I’ve always deserved. Although this may take hard work, I am more than willing to put in the time, effort, and sacrifice…”
14. “My vision is to continuously move forward instead of focusing on things which hold me back. For too long, I have dwelt on past mistakes. Starting today, I will no longer live like this. Instead, I will set my sails in the right direction and only do things that benefit me. I will think positively. As long as I can stick to this, success is guaranteed…”
15. “To always put the first step first. To do this instead of worrying about the next, or about what could happen. I will remove all negative emotions which hold me back. Any action which causes fear, doubt, or stress will be eliminated. I will focus exclusively on positive actions which create positive emotions. With these actions, I will generate the spiritual energy needed to achieve my wishes. I will live a life that is happier, more fulfilled, and less unstable. I will make this a reality for myself…”
For High School Students
16. “To stay true to my most important values and to myself in the face of peer pressure and my desire to fit in with others. No matter what, I will never be ashamed of who I am. I am a child of God and He made me this way. I am special and loved. I will use this realization to stay strong, no matter how difficult it becomes…”
17. “To stay true to my own personal vision and quit chasing other people’s dreams. My goal in life is to start focusing on my own dreams. I want to stop helping other people achieve their goals while ignoring my own. I will do this by learning how to say no to people. I will do this by increasing my self-esteem and confidence. This may be difficult at first, but if I persist, it will become easier…”
18. “To live my life according to the following questions: What is right? What is honest? What is true? Too many people are liars without a moral compass. This is especially true in today’s society. My mission is to be different. I’d like to strive for honesty and truth in all of my dealings, which is why I live my life according to these questions…”
19. “My personal vision statement involves following the trail of successful people in order to achieve my highest personal goals. I believe that success leaves clues. The key to becoming successful is simply to follow these clues. To this end, I will study the lives of successful people and implement the lessons they impart. This way, I can achieve the best probable outcome. By doing this, I hope to follow in their footsteps…”
20. “To develop the specific behaviors which will lead me to success. Over time I will discover these behaviors and practice them until they are hard-wired into my psyche. These include values such as goal setting, self-discipline, and hard work. I will do what it takes to become a better person. By doing this, life becomes easy. What’s more, my success is almost assured…”
21. “To achieve my ultimate goals and do great things with my life. I have always been a highly ambitious person who chases after goals. I want to achieve more than other people have ever dreamed of. I know I can do this. It’s simply a matter of persisting and putting my mind to it!”
22. “My personal vision statement emphasizes the importance of doing the right things at the right time. I feel that the biggest reason why people fail is poor decision-making. Difficult decisions are put off or otherwise made too quickly. My goal is to avoid this and do exactly what needs to be done, exactly when it needs to be done. This is something which is often seen in a company vision statement, and with this philosophy, I will lead a better life and achieve my goals…”
23. “My own personal mission statement revolves around building habits through discipline. This way, I can achieve my long and short-term goals. My personal belief is that we are the sum of our habits. The attainment of personal success relies upon creating these habits. It’s possible to do anything as long as you have the right habits. I will work every day to build the habits needed for success…”
24. “My own statement for personal success is this: the only way to get what you want is by helping others get what they want. The bottom line is that those who are genuinely willing to help will never struggle. Every person you help will one day help you…”
For Teachers
25. “To make a significant difference in the lives of inner-city school children by working tirelessly to improve their literacy rates. I’d like to dedicate my life to combatting this little-known problem. Too many inner-city kids are being pushed through school without even knowing how to read. This is something which we cannot allow to continue. My goal in life is to put a stop to this…”
26. “My greatest desire is to overcome burnout. I need to start managing my work-life balance. My main reason for doing this is because I want to pursue my own goals outside of school time. My other goal is to work hard towards removing the sources of stress in my life. Eventually, I’d like to reach a point where I am almost entirely free of stress and worry…”
27. “To advance along my career path as quickly as possible. My deepest desire is to become an assistant principal before the age of 40. I believe this goal is attainable. This is true, no matter how impossible it may seem today. As long as I work hard and continue to improve myself, there’s no reason why it shouldn’t happen…”
28. “To find the fastest and best way to complete the task at hand. I believe that efficiency is the key to success. Those who work more efficiently are able to do more and thus achieve more. My goal is to find ways to continuously improve efficiency. This way, I will become the top teacher at school. By doing this, I will also be able to be promoted into school administration…”
29. “To stop putting off big decisions and be more proactive when it comes to my career decisions. I will no longer procrastinate and avoid what needs to be done. Instead, I will act proactively and take charge of my career. I will no longer rely on other people to give me handouts. I will make things happen for myself. I will do whatever it takes to pursue my destiny and reach the apex of academia…”
30. “I believe that knowledge is power. I also believe that world-changing information is mostly inaccessible to the masses. The goal of my life is to remedy this. I want to make information freely available to all my students. No matter what their economic background. I will do this by creating a system that enables my students to…”
31. “To continually search for the next step so that I can burst through the barriers which are holding my students back from reaching their full potentials. To find new and innovative ways of doing things to help them get excited about learning. To strive for innovation in the classroom. To be an idea generator to whom my students look to for inspiration. To come up with new and insightful ways of doing things…”
For Leaders
32. “To be the team member who contributes the most to this organization. My goal is to ascend the career ladder as fast as possible. In order to achieve this, I will become the most valuable person in this organization. I will do this by offering the greatest contribution to this company and becoming an indispensable employee. When important decisions need to be made, the team will come to me…”
33. “I want to become the world’s highest-paid personal development coach and eclipse the career of Stephen R. Covey. I want to become the next Tony Robbins and be as equally famous, rich, and successful. To do this, I will create the world’s most sophisticated personal development programs. Along with this, I will become a master of sales, marketing, and advertising. Using these skills, I will sell millions of dollars of my products…”
34. “To increase the net-worth of women so that they can achieve financial dependence and free themselves from crippling debt. To show these women how to wisely invest their money and get maximum returns. To help them become millionaires. I’d also like to have a positive impact on the lives of young girls by teaching them how to properly manage their money…”
35. “I work in an industry which is known for its dishonestly. The goal of my own mission statement is to remind myself that we need to do better. To this end, I’d like to begin by implementing ethical principles in my professional life. I’d like to learn how to operate from a position of total honestly and truthfulness. By doing this, I hope to reform this industry and encourage others to do the same…”
36. “My goal is to become Chicago’s highest-paid business insider. I want to become the most knowledgeable person when it comes to local business. The purpose of doing this is so that I can become the city’s most popular business consultant. By having insider knowledge, I am sure to attract the region’s most valuable consulting clients…”
37. “My goal is to become the world leader in sustainable energy. I want to build a Fortune 500 company that heals instead of hurts the planet. By doing this, I hope to play a major role in the fight against global warming and climate change. It is my hope that our company will serve as a beacon of hope for people around the world. I want to show them that anything is possible if enough people come together to change things. My goal is to achieve all this by 2030…”
38. “I want to become a highly successful social media influencer and vlogger. I know that in order to do this, I have to be bigger and better than everyone else. I will achieve this goal by having the type of life experiences which make other people jealous…”
39. “My goal in life is to become one of the world’s highest-paid SEO experts. I will do this by developing a great tool for SEO that saves time, money, and effort. My mission is to create the next generation of SEO tools and that these will be used by millions of people. Along with this, I will build one of the biggest SEO service companies in the world. I will also create a corporate mission statement which imparts these values to my staff…”
40. “To create positive change for my clients and help them improve the hiring process. Too many companies fail because they hire the wrong people. I’d like to put a stop to this and help these companies succeed. I will do this in my capacity as a recruitment expert and consultant…”
41. “My biggest goal in life is to develop my own personal brand. With this brand, I will create a business that generates more than 10 million dollars per year in revenue. The reason why I want to earn this type of money is so that I can enjoy the good life. You only live once, and I’d like to travel the world, eat good food, and experience the best that life has to offer…”
42. “To discover the one great idea which can forever alter my business career and also improve the lives of others. I believe that the ultimate shortcut to success is finding one life-changing idea. By doing this, I could potentially become a millionaire overnight. My entire life will be consumed by discovering this. I refuse to give up until it happens…”
43. “To provide the highest quality of customer service seen in my industry. By doing this, I will build a tribe of fanatical customers and buyers. These people will stay loyal to my business and help me become an industry leader. I’d also like to give back to the people who helped me along the way…”
44. “To become a social media maven and gain 100 million followers across all accounts. I want to become the world’s first social media billionaire. When people think of social media, I want them to think of me. Once this is achieved, I’d like to convert this following into mainstream fame. My ultimate goal is to launch a global brand that becomes a household name. I will dedicate myself to working non-stop until this goal is achieved…”
45. “I’d like to become one of the most famous and renowned scientists in my field. To achieve this goal, I will do my best to help people through the application of science and technology. By doing this, I will create a better world for all mankind. Hopefully, this will bring me to the attention of my peers, and one day I will win a Nobel Prize for my efforts. Towards the end of my career, I’d like to give back by entering a teaching position. I will do this at a college like Harvard or Oxford…”
46. “To create a truly customer-centric company that provides the best customer service possible. My experience in the service industry has taught me that very few businesses provide true and honest customer service. Most customers are treated as an irritation. Businesses are only interested in the customers’ money. I feel that by changing this, I can place myself ahead of the competition and build a million-dollar company…”
47. “My goal is to build New York’s most prestigious creative agency. After years in this field, I’ve come to understand that good ideas are the foundation of this business. This is why my primary task from now on is to generate these ideas. I will spend at least an hour per day working on this. I will do whatever it takes to increase my creative abilities. I will do whatever it takes to come up with innovative concepts. Only by following this plan can my agency grow and retain high-value clients…”
48. “My greatest dream in life is to build a profitable low-cost airline. To do this, I will follow the exact same mission of Southwest Airlines and create a similar company vision statement. This is essentially to provide the best value for money, and to emphasize customer happiness and satisfaction I will achieve this by training staff to the highest standards possible. This mission also includes actually listening to customers. This way, I can continually improve my service and stay ahead of the competition…”
49. “My ultimate purpose is to become the top life insurance salesman in my state. The reason why I want to do this is so that I can reap the financial rewards. In order to achieve this goal, I will sell more policies than anyone in my area and provide superior customer service. I will wake up every day with a plan for my work and schedule every minute of the day. I am prepared to work seven days a week if that’s what it takes. I will never accept ‘no’ for an answer and keep pushing until the deal is closed…”
50. “I want to find a great way to save significant time on the tax return process. I want to make filing taxes effortless. I want to find a way to make taxes easier for everyone. The reason why I want to do this is because I genuinely have a desire to help people. I’ve seen first-hand what people go through during tax time. I’d like to put a stop to this suffering…”
Famous People’s Personal Mission Statements
“To bring joy and happiness to other people.”
Walt Disney
“To do more than survive, but to grow and live with passion, while meeting life with compassion, humor, and style.”
Maya Angelou
“If something means enough to you it should be pursued, even if you’re likely to fail.”
Elon Musk
“To live a life without fear or ill will for any person. To refuse to submit to injustice. To conquer untruth with truth, and by doing this to put up with any kind of suffering.”
Mahatma Gandhi
“Love God and everyone around you.”
Joel Manby
“To serve and help others. To facilitate the education of every girl on planet earth.”
Malala Yousafzai
“To be successful, start thinking about yourself as a personal brand.”
William Arruda
“To be the best leader possible, maintain a work life balance, and maintain integrity at all times.”
Denise Morrison
“To use my intelligence, charm, and optimism to help women raise their self-confidence, esteem, and worth.”
Amanda Steinberg
“To never repeat a mistake and have fun along the way.”
Richard Branson
“To be a teacher of others and inspire students to go beyond their limitations.”
Oprah Winfrey
Conclusion
The key to creating a great mission statement is to focus on the things that get your blood pumping. What gets you up in the morning and jumping for joy? Use the above examples of personal mission statements to guide you.
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