A Personal Mission Statement (Grade 12 NSC Matric Life Orientation): Revision Notes
A Personal Mission Statement
What is a personal mission statement?
A personal mission statement is similar to a business mission statement, but it's all about you. It clearly explains your purpose, goals, and what you want to achieve in life. Think of it as your personal roadmap that shows who you are, what you stand for, and where you want to go.
Your personal mission statement helps guide your decisions and keeps you focused on what truly matters to you. It combines several important aspects of your identity and beliefs.
A mission statement usually sets out the purpose and aim of a business, company, or organisation. When applied personally, it becomes a powerful tool for self-direction and decision-making.
Components of a personal mission statement
Personal views
Your personal views are simply your opinions about what matters most in life. These might include your thoughts about education, relationships, success, or your future career.
For example, you might believe that education is extremely important because you want to become an accountant. Your friend might value English highly because she dreams of being a journalist. Your personal views are influenced by your goals, religion, culture, and the values you hold dear.
Values
Values are the personal beliefs that guide how you live your life. They act as your internal compass, helping you decide what's right and wrong, acceptable and unacceptable.
Your values develop from various sources including your life experiences, family background, school environment, personal interests, and the important people in your life. Understanding your values is crucial because they help you make decisions and set priorities.
Values are personal beliefs that guide the way you live your life. They are fundamental to creating an effective personal mission statement because they influence every decision you make.
The South African Constitution promotes many common values that we should all respect and support, such as human dignity, equality, and freedom.
Examples of important values include:
- Honesty - being truthful and genuine
- Responsibility - being accountable for your actions
- Respect - treating others with dignity
- Hard work - putting effort into achieving goals
- Integrity - doing the right thing even when no one is watching
- Compassion - showing care and concern for others
- Justice - believing in fairness for all
- Environmental care - protecting nature and our planet
- Leadership - inspiring and guiding others
- Creativity - thinking originally and innovatively
Belief system
Your belief system is how you try to understand the world and your place in it. It helps answer big questions like "Why am I here?" and "What is the meaning of life?"
Your belief system is the way you try to understand the world and your place in it. This fundamental framework shapes how you interpret experiences and make important life decisions.
Your belief system shapes your understanding of right and wrong, truth and falsehood. It might be based on formal religious teachings or be part of your cultural background.
Religion
Religion plays an important role in many people's lives. It involves what you believe about spiritual matters and how you worship. Most religions provide moral guidelines, rituals, and ways of treating others.
Examples of religions practised in South Africa include:
- Christianity - Following the Ten Commandments and valuing good deeds. Different churches have different practices, like the Zion Christian Church which emphasises moral values.
- Islam - Guided by the Qur'an and teachings of Prophet Mohammed, emphasising moral responsibility and family values.
- Hinduism - Believing in non-violence, tolerance, and seeing the world as one family.
- Judaism - Following the Ten Commandments plus specific ethical rules for business and treating people fairly.
- Buddhism - Focusing on ending suffering and living peacefully with others.
- African Traditional Religion - Emphasising community importance, moral values, and respect for ancestors.
- Bahá'í Faith - Working to reduce discrimination and promote human rights and fairness.
Ideologies
Ideologies are organised sets of beliefs about how you think the world should work and how society should operate. They include political ideas like democracy or economic ideas like capitalism.
Different ideologies have varying views on topics such as social welfare, religion, healthcare, and justice systems.
Lifestyle (physical and emotional well-being)
Your lifestyle describes how you choose to live each day. A healthy lifestyle might include regular exercise, nutritious eating, practising safe behaviours, and avoiding harmful substances.
For emotional well-being, you might spend time with friends, enjoy nature, participate in community activities, and have fun. Following a religion or belief system that supports you also contributes to your overall well-being.
Environmental responsibility
If you take environmental responsibility seriously, you understand the need to treat nature with respect. This means avoiding harmful actions like littering or cutting down trees unnecessarily. Instead, you recycle, plant new trees, and participate in environmental clean-up campaigns.
Goals for studies and career choices
Your goals are your plans for the future - the steps you need to take to achieve what you want later in life. Whether you plan to get a job immediately after Grade 12 or study further depends on your personal views, values, and desired lifestyle.
Case study: Mbhali Tshabalala's mission statement
Let's look at how one South African student created her personal mission statement:
Worked Example: Mbhali Tshabalala's Personal Mission Statement
Mbhali Tshabalala is 18 years old and writing her NSC examinations. Her mission statement reads:
"My life purpose is, through the power of various media, to make people aware of the challenges facing young women in Africa and around the world. So I aim to study marketing and communications.
After I have graduated, I want to travel the world for a year to learn about other people and expand my understanding of issues facing women. I will combine my travels with volunteering to help women and children and environmental causes. My belief system is that I should give back to those who are less fortunate than I am.
My values include creativity, truthfulness, quality and originality. I will try my best to make documentaries and television and radio programmes that are fair, honest, informative and thought provoking.
I would like to be a role model for other young women so that they can also achieve their dreams through discipline, determination, hard work and a healthy lifestyle."
This example shows how personal values, beliefs, and goals all work together in a comprehensive mission statement.
How to create your own personal mission statement
Creating a personal mission statement helps you focus on achieving your goals and deciding what's important to you. It's like a roadmap showing where you are now and where you want to be in 3-5 years.
Remember that your mission statement will change and develop as you grow and learn new things about yourself. This is completely normal and shows personal growth!
Tips for creating an effective mission statement:
- Be brief and clear - Make it short enough to print on one page and hang in your room for inspiration
- Show your focus - Describe the kind of person you want to be and what you want to achieve
- Be positive - Write about what you want to do and be, not what you don't want
- Include inspiration - Add a quote from someone you admire to motivate you
Template for your personal mission statement:
"I aim to _____ (describe your study or career goal) so that _____ (explain why this goal is important to you). I aim to do this _____ (give your timeframe).
I value _____ (choose three most important values) because _____ (explain why these values matter to you).
So I will _____ (describe how you'll live by these values).
I want to be fit and healthy so that I can _____ (give your reasons).
I will do this by _____ (list actions for staying fit and healthy).
I would like to be respected by _____ (name the person or group whose respect you value) because _____.
I will strive to act responsibly towards the environment by _____ (list three ways)."
Key Points to Remember:
- A personal mission statement combines your views, values, beliefs, lifestyle choices, and goals into one clear document
- Your values act as your internal compass, helping you make important decisions
- Different religions and belief systems can influence your mission statement
- Environmental responsibility should be part of your personal mission
- Your mission statement will evolve as you grow and change
- Keep your mission statement brief, positive, and focused on what you want to achieve