Where do you see yourself in the ten years time?

After all, if you want to get down to the nuts and bolts of managing your financial future, you’ve got to know what your future will be, right?

Perhaps your imaginary future goes like this:

• You will get prompted in your job, earn more and you live the life you always dreamed of.
• Or you save enough money, pay off your home loan and become a debt free
• Or maybe you will quit your job completely and start a business or travel the world
• Or you’re one of the rare people who are so excited about early retirement and you’re willing to save like crazy in order to retire in 10 years time.

What if all these are not what you really wanted? What if your real goals are not the big houses, fancy cars, luxurious holidays, or even early retirement? What if you have a higher purpose of life?

And I call that a personal mission statement. Without it, it is very hard for you to achieve your life purpose and financial freedom. Here is why.

What is Mission Statement

In the movie “Transformers: Age of Extinction”, the super rich company KSI has a lovely statement, “Past is History, Present is Past, Future is NOW”

And that is the probably mission statement which guided the inventors Joshua Joyce to achieve the impossible mission and discovered the transformer’s technology, Transformium.

If that sounds fantasy, do you know every successful companies has a mission statement?

Google’s mission statement is “to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.”

How about Amazon? “To be earth’s most customer centric company; to build a place where people can come to find and discover anything they might want to buy online.”

Nike’s mission statement is “to bring innovation and inspiration to every athlete in the world.”

If you think carefully, most successful companies do not set up just to make money. Yes, they seek profits, but they’re equally guided by core values and purposes beyond just making money.

What is Personal Mission Statement

If we apply the same principles to our lives. Money, house, cars and any other material achievements are like food and water. They are necessary for life, but they are not the real purpose of life.

The great lesson I learnt from billionaire Philip Ng is that we are all just the stewards of the possessions in our lives.

Think about it, have you struggled to raise kids before?

• You were exhausted because you woke up every night for your crying new born
• You sacrificed your own spending to make sure your children always have the best.
• You read the same story countless times without feeling bored just because your kids love it.

Did you feel tired? Probably yes.

Did you give up? Definitely not.

What kept you moving? Because you feel this is your mission, this is your responsibility and this is your calling.

That is why a personal mission have two benefits:

1. It keeps you motivated when times get tough
2. It helps you make the right choices to achieve your dreams and desires

Think about what you can achieve if you have a personal mission statement for your life too.

How to craft a Personal Mission Statement

Learn from the successful people

Personal mission statement can be very simple, even for the most successful people.

Steve Jobs’ mission statement for Apple in 1980 was probably what help him rode through the tough years and eventually turn Apple from wreck to success

To make a contribution to the world by making tools for the mind that advance humankind.

Denise Morrison, President and CEO of Campbell Soup Company said, “To serve as a leader, live a balanced life, and apply ethical principles to make a significant difference.”

Oprah Winfrey said, “To use my gifts of intelligence, charisma, and serial optimism to cultivate the self-worth and net-worth of women around the world.”

You see, each of us is different, your mission is uniquely to your values and experiences. It is uniquely to you. Don’t think about what you’re supposed to do, but what you want to do.

There is no single purpose or ideology that breeds success. – Built to Last

It can have fun

In his an interview with Motivated magazine, founder of The Virgin Group, Richard Branson, shared his personal mission statement,

“To have fun in my journey through life and learn from my mistakes.”

I love this simple and honest statement. Isn’t joy and happiness the purpose of life?

Not all are equally great.

Do you know what is Apple’s new mission statement after Steve Jobs?

Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife, iWork and professional software. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store. Apple has reinvented the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, and is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices with iPad.

That is just so disappointing. I think the new management is trying to say Apple exists to sell you more products and make more money.

What will happen to your life if your personal mission statement goes like this?

I work for money and I use the money to pay for my debt. I hope one day I will strike Toto so I don’t have to work any more. I will then spend the money to buy many things which I cannot afford today.

I never met any rich people in my life whose goal was to make money. As Henry Ford said, “If money is your hope for independence, you will never have it. The only real security that a man can have in this world is a reserve of knowledge, experience and ability.”

if you want to achieve your financial freedom, you need a meaningful personal mission statement first. Without a personal mission statement, you will be worse off if you have a million dollars.

What is my Personal Mission Statement

Having a personal mission statement brings focus and purpose to your life. I will share with you my personal mission statement and I hope it can inspire you

What is your personal mission statement? What is your purpose of life?

If you like this post, click the button below to share or leave your comment below…