The Value of a Personal Mission Statement for University Undergraduates

Despite the developmental significance of emerging adulthood as a time for critical self reflection and clarification of values, college and university education rarely includes self-assessment in curricula. Stephen Covey’s book “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People is a description of the importance of formulating a personal mission and critically reflecting on personal priorities. As part of a course in organizational psychology, students read about mission statements, their importance, and completed an accompanying workbook/journal. A key component of this exercise was for students to develop a personal mission statement. Students reported that they found this activity to be very helpful-- particularly regarding values clarification and how they were actually using their time. Students commented that because of the fast pace of their lives, they rarely had time to engage in this type of reflection and were appreciative of the structure provided by the reading, journal, and opportunity to discuss their goals and values.