How to Write a Personal Mission Statement With Examples

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While you probably won’t be asked to share your personal mission statement, it may help you get clear on some decisions.

What is a personal mission statement?

Also known as a personal vision statement or personal purpose statement, a personal mission statement is a short paragraph (usually 1–2 sentences) that describes who you are, what your life’s overarching goals are, and how you’re going to achieve them.

A personal mission statement is primarily for yourself and may help you decide:

what career(s) do I want to pursue?
what should I do with my free time?
what responsibilities should I take on at work?
what relationships should I build, maintain, or avoid?
what skills should I work on?

Personal mission statement examples

Whether you’re a student, already established in your career, or a leader in your field, draw inspiration from these personal mission statement examples.

Mission statement examples for students

“Transform curiosity into knowledge, challenges into growth, and dreams into achievable goals through dedicated learning.”

“Approach each day as an opportunity to expand my understanding, support my peers, and prepare for a future where I can make meaningful contributions.”

“Embrace academic challenges while maintaining balance, knowing that personal growth happens both inside and outside the classroom.”

“Build a foundation of knowledge, resilience, and character that will serve as a launching pad for lifelong achievement.”

“Seek understanding beyond grades, cultivate meaningful connections, and use education as a tool to create positive change in my community.”

Mission statement examples for leadership

“Build teams where innovation flourishes, individuals thrive, and collective success is achieved through mutual respect and shared purpose.”

“Create environments where potential is recognized, diversity is valued, and every team member feels empowered to contribute their best.”

“Guide with authenticity and empathy, fostering a culture where growth is constant and challenges are viewed as opportunities.”

“Unite diverse perspectives toward common goals while nurturing the unique strengths of each team member.”

“Lead through service, building sustainable systems that empower others to excel beyond their expectations.”

Career-focused personal mission statement examples

“To dedicate myself to causes greater than my own desires. To never stop growing. To guide others toward excellence and positive change through my own dedication.”

“To always be learning, to supporting my team members, and working with the end result in mind.”

“To guide my team with integrity, embrace our differences with joy, and support each other as we grow”

“To bring healing and wellness to underserved communities as a doctor who sees beyond symptoms to human dignity.”

“To maintain a solid work-life balance that leaves me energized and rested.”

How to write a personal mission statement

Writing a personal mission statement can be intimidating, whether you’re unsure what your life’s mission is or you have so many interests and goals you don’t know what to focus on.

To make the process easier for you, we break down how to write a personal mission statement into 7 steps:

1. Identify your core values

When writing your personal mission statement, start by brainstorming. The first step is to answer the question, “What’s important to me?”

Identifying your core values can help you identify what’s important to you. Choose as many of these core values that stand out to you, then eliminate them until you have 3-5 core values:

Arts
Authenticity
Building community
Challenging problems
Community
Democracy
Diversity and inclusion
Ecological awareness
Economic security
Ethical practice
Flexibility
Growth
Honesty
Independence
Integrity
Job security
Knowledge and learning
Leadership
Mental health
Meaningful work
Nature
Personal development
Quality relationships
Religion
Responsibility and accountability
Security
Social justice
Sustainability
Time freedom
Transparency
Wellness
Work-life balance

2. List your talents, skills, and characteristics

Next, you’re going to think about your talents, skills, and characteristics combined can bring value to the world.

Before you continue:

List 5 talents
List 5 skills
List 5 characteristics

If you get stuck, consider the perspective of those close to you or ask friends and family how they’d describe you.

3. Define your current life roles

Each person has several roles they play in life: You may be a child, a sibling, an older brother/sister, a mentor, a colleague, a classmate, a neighbor, a [job title], an amateur [name of hobby], a [creative sidegig], etc.

Write down 5-10 of your current life roles, no matter how insignificant.

4. Clarify who or what you want to dedicate your life to

Next, answer the question, “Who or what do I want to live for?” Anybody or anything can be on the receiving end of your life’s mission, no matter how specific or general.

Write down 3 of the people, places, communities, or things that will benefit from you doing what you do.

5. Determine your life goal

Your goals for the future connect who you are as a person to the population you want to help.

Consequently, your goals should include action verbs that show what you want to accomplish (e.g., to lead my community, to save lives, to create art that inspires all people).

Write down 3 life goals. Some questions to help you brainstorm your life goals include:

how do you want your life to look from the view of your multiple identities (e.g., child, parent, partner, employee, colleague, community member)?
what do the various aspects of your life (physical, emotional, mental, spiritual) look like?
what would you like your legacy to be?
what specific goals have you set in the past? Do they have a common theme?
what achievements are you especially proud of?

6. Use or adapt our personal mission statement template (or make your own)

Now that you have your:

3-5 core values
5 talents
5 skills
5 characteristics
5-10 of your current life roles
3 people, places, communities, or things that will benefit
3 life goals

This should give you some of the information you need to begin filling out or expanding on this personal mission statement template:

Since every person’s life is so rich and varied you can make several personal mission statements so they address the various facets of your life, such as your: personal well-being and growth, your career, your family and friends, and one for your passions or side projects.

7 . Be prepared to regularly adapt and hone your statement

Be ready to update and refresh your personal mission statement, because it’ll change over time as you gain life experience.

Here are some questions to ask yourself to evaluate if your personal statement is still relevant:

Do I feel direction, purpose, challenge, and motivation when I review this statement?
What do I need to start doing now to be where I want to be tomorrow?
Does this still represent me well?

How to use your personal mission statement in your job search

In addition to helping you make decisions (and giving you hope on a bad day), personal mission statements are useful throughout all stages of your job search:

1. Add it to your resume introduction

You can easily rework your personal mission statement into a compelling resume introduction when applying for a job.

Personal mission statement

“To use my critical thinking and strong interest in business strategy to bring consumers the products they need for more convenient, healthier lives.”

This is an example of a resume summary integrating a personal statement:

The job applicant turns their personal mission statement into an engaging resume introduction by adding their concrete qualifications (education and certification) and including details relevant to the specific job posting, such as the organization’s name and mission.

2. Work it into your cover letter

Hiring managers view the first paragraph as the most important part of your cover letter. So add elements of your personal mission statement into your cover letter’s first paragraph to ensure you grab the reader’s attention with your passion for your work.

Take a look at this example:

Personal mission statement

“To use my critical thinking and strong interest in business strategy to bring consumers the products they need for more convenient, healthier lives”

This applicant successfully used their personal statement in their cover letter:

To write a concise but impactful cover letter introduction, the applicant brings up a qualification (MBA) that demonstrates the skills and interests they’ve included in their personal mission statement (critical thinking and business strategy).

3. Keep it in mind when interviewing

In interviews, employers want to get to know you personally. As a result, you’ll likely need to answer questions about why you want to work at a particular company or in a certain career.

A good way to answer these questions is to start by sharing your personal mission statement with the interviewers. Then, explain how your personal mission aligns with that of the company or with your career path.

Frequently asked questions about personal mission statements

Want more information about personal mission statements? Check out our answers to 3 personal mission statement questions to help you with your job search and career development.

1. Is a personal mission statement the same thing as a career mission statement?

A personal mission statement is not the same thing as a career mission statement.

A personal mission statement encompasses your whole life, purpose, and values. A career mission statement specifically focuses on your professional goals, workplace contributions, and the impact you aim to make within your chosen field.

While a personal mission statement can be used to help you make career decisions, a personal mission statement extends to both the personal and professional parts of your life.

2. How do I write my personal mission statement if I don’t know my life’s mission?

You don’t need to know your life’s mission before writing your personal mission statement. In fact, writing your personal mission statement can help you identify and refine your life’s purpose.

The brainstorming process (identifying your qualities, goals, and the people you want to assist) will help you to better understand your mission. Even if you only have a vague idea of your life’s mission, you can write it down first and refine it over time.

3. What is a personal value statement?

A personal value statement is a document describing your skills, experience, and career goals. This type of statement is often a few paragraphs long and can either be sent with your resume when applying to specific jobs or posted on your social media (e.g., the About page of your LinkedIn profile).

A personal value statement is more similar to a cover letter than to a personal mission statement and is written to show hiring managers why you’d be a good fit for their role. But while a cover letter focuses more on your skills and experience, a personal value statement convinces hiring managers to consider you based on your personal values and long-term goals.

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Rebecca Tay is a Professional Researcher with a Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins University who directs research projects, survey analyses, and industry reports at Resume Genius. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, eating delicious food, and hanging out with her cat.