“Change Your Words, Change Your World”: Five Steps to Write Your Personal Mission Statement

Hi, this is Reen and the title above are words posted on my office wall. They come from famous copywriter, Ray Edwards, who built his entire business on this business mission statement. These six words can also change your own personal life.

Writing your own personal mission statement acts as a compass to guide your thoughts, words, and actions. Without a compass, you can end up anywhere. But with a personal mission statement crafted and based on your personal values and ideals, you design a guiding compass to direct your paths, pursuits, and passions.

Coming back home from my service as an Army officer, I entered my family’s real estate business. While I was successful, something seemed missing. After coming to Christ, I began to sense that Christ planned more for my life. I became unsettled and wondered if real estate was what God called me to do.

So, wondering what I was supposed to be and do with my life, I decided to put God’s Word to the test. Bible character Ezra tells his story, “There, by the Ahava Canal, I proclaimed a fast, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask him for a safe journey for us and our children, with all our possessions…So we fasted and petitioned our God about this, and he answered our prayer” (Ezra 8:21-23).

Without telling anyone, I went on a 5-day juice and water fast. I hoped to know why God made me by the end of that time. Now, granted this may seem far-fetched…but it worked! At the end of the fifth day, I felt the Lord Jesus impress five words in my thoughts. These five words altered the course of my personal and professional life.

So, what were these words? “Write, Speak, and Help People.” Now it may not seem earth shattering to you, but for me it provided the clarity and anchor I needed to walk God’s path for my life.

While you may not feel the need to complete a fast, what do you have to lose? And if you choose not to do this, here’s a simple exercise to complete:

Step One:

After praying, take a sheet of paper down and write down the key things that matter most to you in your life right now.

Step Two:

Like words on a Scrabble Board, put them together and see what words make sense to you and resonate with your spirit.  

Step Three:

Take a blank page and start off your page with phrases like:

My life’s goal is________________________________________.

I desire most to_________________________________________.

I feel God created me with these skills and talents______________.

The ideas and values that define me the most are_______________.

I feel most happy when___________________________________.

I feel most fulfilled when I ________________________________.

You may be frustrated at first but give it a shot. You may need to spend some time on it and then put it away to come back another day and work on it some more.

Step Four:

Finally, using only two sentences and as few words as possible, write out a mission statement that reflects your current life perspective and the activities that currently engage your time and interest.

Step Five:

You can then summarize this in a few words as demonstrated in both my mission statement and Ray’s.

You’ll be amazed at the clarity it brings to your life concerning the present as you prepare to write a vision statement next week defining your hopes and dreams for the future. The process is both fascinating and freeing! Try it. I’d love to hear your story and your personal mission statement.

Linda and I are always available and look forward to hearing from you at info@yourrefreshedlife.com. Blessings!