The other day I attended a conference of entrepreneurs at the invitation of a good friend. One of the guest speakers asked an interesting question…”What’s your mission statement? What do you hope to achieve by entering into a small business?” Now, I’m not looking to go into small business or finds ways to make extra money by selling products, but I was intrigued by the question, “What is your mission statement?”
When I normally think of mission statements, I relate them to large corporations. At times I get them confused with a vision statement. What I’ve learned over the years is that a mission statement is something that defines how you want to be perceived. A vision statement is what you hope to accomplish over a set period of time, say five years or so. Another difference I’ve noticed between the two is that a mission statement is normally short and to the point. A vision statement can be fairly lengthy in some cases, including highlights or expected goals.
As I began the drive home from the conference I began thinking about my own mission statement. What would I put down that would clearly define how I wanted my life to be perceived? Would it be connected to my creator, my wife, my family, myself - the things I’m passionate about? It was an interesting dynamic to think about what my mission statement would say about me if I had it hanging up in my home or my office.
After a lot of pondering I determined that I would want my mission statement to be no more than a sentence or two, defining what I wanted to portray in my daily life. Since my religion, my family and friends, and my own values mean more to me than anything else I came up with this:
Be True to Him (my creator)
Be True to Them (family, friends, all I come in contact with)
Be True to Myself
Ok, so it turned out to be three sentences rather than one or two, and some could argue it could be mistaken as a vision as opposed to a mission statement, but I like it as it is. It’s simply and really does define who I am.
So, I ask you…what is your Mission Statement?
