“So what’s your why?”
If you are your own brand, shouldn’t you have a mission statement like any other brand out there?
A mission statement uses a short sentence, or even a phrase, to say everything that the brand stands for. Linkedin’s says, “To connect the world’s professionals to make them more productive and successful.” Forbes’ states, “To deliver information on the people, ideas, and technologies changing the world to our community of affluent business decision makers.” Nike’s says, “Bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world. If you have a body, you are an athlete.”
Don’t these clearly state why each company exists? Nike doesn’t say, “We make shoes, clothes and other things that athletes use.” They exist for a much higher purpose, and they want to connect that shared purpose with the athlete in each consumer.” There’s a similar “why” in every good mission statement.
So what’s your why? If you can’t grasp it immediately, it’s probably time to revisit. The good news is that this shouldn’t take too much work if you know what you’re passionate about. Your personal mission statement should passionately convey who you are in a single sentence. All you have to do is review those things you’re passionate about….like really passionate….and use them to build a simple “I believe…” sentence that ties them all together.
For example, if my drivers are leadership, learning, service and community. My statement reads, “I believe that all people have a responsibility to work to improve themselves and to use their talents to benefit the world around them.” I use this to drive where I invest my time and the big decisions I make each day. It describes who I am as a husband, dad, employee, Lexingtonian, etc.
If you struggle to create a sentence that makes you want to run out the door and shout it to the neighborhood, consider reviewing what you think your passions are. Do they accurately represent you? Are they missing something? Once you feel confident you’ve got them right, give it another shot.
Congratulations. If you’ve successfully reached this point, you’re light years ahead of your peers. You’ve now got a firm grasp of who you are and what drives you. You can use this personal mission statement as the framework to support your most successful and satisfying life.
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Photo by Grant Ritchie on Unsplash
