DR. STEPHEN R.

COVEY
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Author of the International Bestseller

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The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

PRESENTS

How to Develop Your Personal Mission Statement

If you were to ask me, What is the one thing that would have the
greatest impact for good I would answer, Work to develop a Personal
Mission Statement. It will be the single most important and
tfar-reaching leadership activity you can do.
Stephen R. Covey

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transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or use of any information storage
or retrieval system, for any purpose without the express written permission of FranklinCovey.
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How to Develop and Use a Personal Mission Statement

Introduction
This audio program is presented in two parts. The first part focuses on the concept and application of helping you
detect and write your Personal Mission Statement.
The second part you may consider as a Personal Mission Statement workshop. In this section, you will be asked
to put into learning the material from the first section. As you listen to the workshop, you will write out your
thoughts, plans, vision, and other exercises.You will learn in effect how to use your Personal Mission Statement in
your life.

Purpose
The purpose of this audio presentation and listeners guide is to help create your Personal Mission Statement and
inspire you on how to use it. As you discover or detect your mission, you will find that your mission statement
will give your life a deeper purpose and greater sense of direction. This experience will empower you to lead your
life instead of spending your life reacting. A mission will provide you with more perspective, more balance, and
more courage to act.
Throughout this audio piece and listeners guide, you will be challenged with thoughts, stories, quotes, and
questions that will assist you in detecting your mission. Take time to pause and reflect over some of the stories and
quotes presented. Apply those that have meaning for youthat resonate from your own life.
You may want to keep a notebook with you wherever you listen to this audio presentation to capture your own
thoughts and ideasand eventually your own mission.

Is Your Ladder Leaning Against the Right Wall?

People often find themselves achieving hollow victories. Successes have come at the expense of things they
suddenly realize were far more valuable to them. If our ladder is not leaning against the right wall, every step we
take, no matter how many hours weve prepared for it, gets us to the wrong place.
So, which wall is your ladder leaning against?
How can you place it against the wall that will lead you in the right direction?

Begin With the End in Mind

You cannot accomplish a worthy end with an unworthy mean. Ends and means are absolutely inseparable.
Stephen R. Covey

Envision your life first, then make it real.

Rachel Snyder
When you can begin to see the end in mind, your life takes focusyou find your ladder set against the right wall.
This is the essence of a Personal Mission Statement.

Your Personal Mission Statement

Every person is so unique that there are multiple ways to write a Personal Mission Statement. Many people carry
their mission inside them; it is written deep in their heart. However, it becomes more alive when you place it on
paper or make it a tangible object.
For some, it is a few words. For others, it is an extensive statement. Some have a piece of music that represents
their mission; others a picture. Each mission develops in its unique way because it comes from within. Though the
outward expression makes the mission become more alive, the real key is the work that is done inwardly to detect
what your personal mission in life is.
Regardless of how it is expressed, a Personal Mission Statement focuses on what you are as a personwhat you
want to be; your character; what you want to do; your contributions and achievements.

Steps to Detecting Your Personal Mission

Step 1: EXPLORATIONExplore what you are about.
Step 2: APPLICATIONWrite out your mission.
Step 3: ACTUALIZATIONStay on course.

Your Guide
This listeners guide will focus on steps 1 and 2 through exercises and questions. Listening and applying the
principles and ideas discussed on the audio presentation will assist you in completing step 3, which ultimately is
the most important step.
The Workout Session will assist you further in exploring what you are about, adding clarification of how you can
detect your Personal Mission Statement through a more interactive approach.

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Interior WorkExploration
Define what you want to be.
To define what you want to be, you need to define your character strengths and personal qualities. By focusing on
what you want to be in these terms, youll have something worthy of your effort.
To begin detecting your personal mission, reflect on the following:
What are my character strengths?

What do I want these strengths to be?

What are my best qualities?

What are my dreams and ambitions?

Determine What You Want to DoExploration

What do you want to accomplish? What do you want to achieve? What contributions do you want to make?
Determining what you want to do will focus your efforts in the direction you want to go. By combining your
efforts with what you want to be, you will have something thats worthy of your efforts.
To further your mission, reflect on the following:
If my resources were such that I did not have to work for a living or could do anything I
wanted, I would

The reason I would do this is because

Sometimes I see myself doing something great like

Keys to Your Personal Mission Statement

A mission statement is more detected than invented.
Goals are invented to make your mission statement happen.
A mission statement is NOT just a priority statement.
A mission statement is literally a blueprint for the life you want to lead.
Remember, everyone has a mission statement, but few are living it.

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What a Mission Statement Gives Back

1. Perspective
2. Balance
3. Courage to Act

Explore the following questions:

What perspective do you need to gain in your life?

How can you live a more balanced lifeday to day? How can a mission personally make
this balance more of a reality?

Reflect on an experience when you did not act with courage, but should have.

Can your mission give you courage?

Find Silence
Out of silence comes prayer. Out of prayer comes faith. Out of faith, comes love. Out of love, comes service. Out of
service comes peace.
Mother Teresa
Detecting your personal mission begins with silence. It begins with reflection. Once you find this quiet place
inside, youll start to discover physical sensations and memories that are the very source of the things you want to
put into your mission statement.

Interior WorkExploration
Consider others as role models.
Find a quite place where you can reflect on the following:
The five most important people in your life are:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
What qualities do you admire most in these people?

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What qualities would you hope to incorporate?

Know Your Destination

When you Begin With the End in Mind and start to consider a vision of your life as a whole, you are looking at
your healthy, entire self.You are seeing yourself with nothing omitted, nothing ignored.You understand and know
which direction you are headedyou know your destination.

Three Lives
Dr. Coveys presentation points out that we all live three lives: public life, private life, and inner life. It is your inner
life that is most significant.Your inner life is where you can listen and trust your heart, gut, or perceptions. This is
where you can detect your mission.

Interior WorkExploration
Describe yourself at your best.
To get at the core of what your mission is about, look at your own qualities, what you do bestyour unique
talents, skills, and contributions.
Ten adjectives that describe you at your best are:
1.

6.

2.

7.

3.

8.

4.

9.

5.

10.

What qualities do you possess that people admire?

If you could have one wish, what would it be?

If you could change one problem in the world, what would it be and why?

You may wish to return to the workout sessions featured in the audio presentation. These sessions may help
you deepen your understanding and increase your awareness of your purpose and mission through interactive
exploration activities.

Using Your Unique Gifts

When you go into your inner life, you go through four essential processes using all four unique gifts. First you are
self-aware.You can stand apart and observe your own life, public or private. Second, by asking questions, you listen
to your conscience. This provides the source of detection. Third, you look at whats possible; you envisionyou
begin to bring invention on top of detection. Fourth, you are aware that now you have a sense of what your life is
about.You want to live by it, so you tap into your independent will.
No special talent is required for all of this to happen. Remember, these are gifts you posess within. In fact, it is
natural to tap into these gifts if you learn to relax, be open, slow down, reflect, and be silent.

Interior WorkExploration
Think about your values.
Review your answers to the questions from the previous pages, then take time and write down your values in the
space provided on the next page. Here is a list of values that might inspire your thinking:
Health
Time
Justice
Security
Relationships
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 Family
Happiness
Career/work

Your Personal Mission StatementApplication

Steps to Detecting Your Personal MissionReview
Step 1: EXPLORATIONExplore what you are about.
Step 2: APPLICATIONWrite out your mission.
Step 3: ACTUALIZATIONStay on course.

Having listened to Dr. Coveys presentation and answered the questions in this guide, youve completed the first
step.You are now ready to move on to the next step.

Write It Out
Take a moment to reflect. Review what youve learned, read through your answers, and sort through any notes
you might have taken. In the space below, write the essence of what you have thought abouta draft of your
Personal Mission Statement.

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This exercise is meant to get your mind thinking about what you want your mission to say. As you read over
what youve written above, connect it back to the notes youve taken and what youve learned from this audio
presentation. Continue to further your mission statement in a notebook or on the next few pages provided.
Again, you may wish to return to the workout sessions in the audio presentation to further develop what youve
written.

An Empowering Mission Statement

Here are a few suggestions on how to make your mission statement more powerful and that will help you stay on
course. An empowering mission statement:
Represents the deepest and best within you and comes out of a solid connection with your deep, inner life.
Is the fulfillment of your own unique gifts.
Is transcendent, based on principle of contribution and purpose higher than self.

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 Addresses and integrates all four fundamental human needs and capacities: physical, social/emotional, mental,
and spiritual.
Is based on principle that produce quality-of-life results.
Deals with both vision and principle-based values. Its not enough to have values without vision
Focuses on all the significant roles in your life, representing a lifetime balance of personal, family, work,
communitywhatever roles you feel are yours to fill.
It is written over time, not rushed.
Is written to inspire younot to impress anyone elseon the most essential level.
On the following pages are examples of mission statements you may find helpful in writing your own.
Remember, the most important concept in detecting and writing an empowering mission statement is that it
must come from withinit must resonate within you.

Examples
Mission Statement
To recognize, promote, and inspire the divine connection in myself and others.
Laurie Beth Jones

My Task
To be honest, to be kind
To earn a little and spend a little less,
To make upon the whole a family happier for his presence,
To renounce when that shall be necessary and not be embittered,
To keep a few friends, but these without capitulation
Above all, on the same grim condition, to keep friends with himself
Here is a task for all that a man has of fortitude and delicacy.
Robert Louis Stevenson

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Resolution
Let the first act of every morning be
To make the following resolve for the day:
I shall not fear anyone on earth.
I shall fear only God.
I shall not bear ill toward anyone
I shall conquer untruth by truth.
And in resisting untruth I shall put up with all suffering.
Mahatma Gandhi

Mission Statement
To act in a manner that brings out the best in me and those important to meespecially when it might be most
justifiable to act otherwise.
Anonymous

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Review and Evaluate to Stay on Course

Once youve invested the time in writing your Personal Mission Statement, keep it up to date. Read it often.
Place it where you can see itdont hide it in a drawer or closet. Here are a few hints on how you can review
and evaluate your Personal Mission Statement to help you stay on course:
Keep your mission statement in a place you can access frequently. If you carry a planner, this is an ideal place.
At the beginning of each week, review your mission. Plan specific activities that will bring you closer to
your purpose. Evaluate those activities that are in harmony with your inner values and principles.
As you review your Personal Mission Statement, keep the following questions in mind:
Does my mission statement reflect the best possible me? If not, are there changes to be made?
Am I challenged and motivated when I read my mission statement? If not, what changes need to be made?

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(Unabridged)

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The 7 Habits of Happy Kids

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