support

I’ve talked before in a past post on how to create a personal mission statement for yourself. Part of that process includes choosing three verbs that are most meaningful and exciting to you, three verbs that you believe will help you accomplish your core value. I shared that my three verbs came out to be Encourage, Inspire, and Support. I believe that these verbs, these actions, will help me achieve spreading my core value of Influence.

What do these verbs mean, and what do they mean to me or you? Verbs are a specific form of action. By choosing three certain verbs, they represent specific actions that we choose to focus on. Focusing our actions gives way to better and faster results. It achieves more specific results. If you’re determined to accomplish a certain goal, or simply spread a certain value, it is highly effective to hone your actions.

So what are your three verbs? If you don’t know what your core value is, more than likely choosing three verbs that inspire you the most will shine some light on it. It helps to begin with a big master list of verbs to pick from (courtesy of “The Path” by Laurie Beth Jones):

accomplish acquire administer adopt advance affect
affirm alleviate amplify appreciate ascend associate believe bestow brighten build
call
cause
choose
claim
collect combine command
communicate
compel compete complete compliment compose conceive

confirm connect consider construct contact continue counsel create
decide defend delight deliver demonstrate devise
direct discover discuss distribute draft
dream
drive educate
elect embrace encourage endow engage engineer enhance enlighten

enlist enliven entertain enthuse envision evaluate excite explore express extend facilitate finance forgive foster franchise further gather generate give
grant
heal
hold
host
identify ignite illuminate implement improve improvise inspire

integrate involve
keep
know
labor
launch
lead
master mature measure mediate model
mold motivate move negotiate nurture
open organize participate pass perform persuade play
possess practice praise prepare present produce

progress promise promote provide realize receive reclaim reduce
refine
reflect reform regard
relate
relax
release
rely remember renew resonate respect restore return
revise sacrifice safeguard satisfy
save
sell
serve
share

speak
stand summon support surrender sustain
take
tap
team
touch
trade translate travel understand uphold
use
utilize validate value venture verbalize volunteer work worship write
yield

If it’s hard to pick three, start with nine, and then eliminate. Give it a try 🙂

You’ve probably heard the term “mission statement” thrown around from time to time. Certainly from businesses, at least. The idea of an individual person having a mission statement probably isn’t a common concept.

A personal mission statement may seem like something pointless or frivolous, but if you create one, you’ll have clearer direction in life. What is a mission statement? Businesses and organizations all have them. They’re meant to help focus the business on a single purpose that it intends to achieve. This is the same function of a personal mission statement; it answers what you believe your purpose is and states what you intend to achieve during your lifetime.

With that in mind, the thought of figuring all that out seems daunting. But there are a few steps that will eventually get you to a clarified Personal Mission Statement.

First, ask the question, “How do I want to be related to?” Identify a few things that people can best interact and relate to you. What do you value the most in others? For me it’s be loyal, be…
Distinguish a metaphor illustrating how you want to be seen. For me, it is the image of a cheerleader on the sidelines, cheering people on, ready for when someone needs to run by for an encouraging hug.
Identify your values. It helps to have a list of common values, like wisdom, honesty, benevolence, nobility, excellence, comfort, etc. From those values you pick, pair it down to one Core Value. What do you most want to represent in the world? What is a principle you’d be willing to die for? When I identified mine, it came to...Influence. This is my core value.
A mission involves action. From a list of verbs, select a few that stand out to you and inspire you. Then, from those few, select three distinct verbs that are the most meaningful, purposeful, and exciting to you, three verbs that you believe will accomplish your core value. My three verbs? Encourage, Inspire, and Support.
Ask yourself the question, “What do I want to see happen to others as a result of me?” I know you know something about this. Try to be as specific as possible. For me, it would be: I want to see people pursue and achieve their dreams because I encouraged and supported them.

By putting together all these pieces, a personal mission statement begins to emerge. It may change over time, get more detailed, become more clear, but a mission statement is meant to grow with you. And once you have this personal mission statement, your steps in life begin to have more meaning. You’re here for a reason. It’s exciting to figure out what that reason is 🙂

My personal mission statement?