2024 Blueprint: Core Values (100+ Examples) & Action Statements Notion Template
Planning 2024: Part 3
I have been working my way through planning 2024 and sharing how and why I am doing what I am doing.
This is the third step: doing a core values audit and writing your personal action statement.
A core value audit can be done at any time of the year, but doing one at the beginning of a new year is a recommitment and reminder to yourself about the person you want to be and what your highest priorities are.
I like to include it as a part of my yearly planning because, after you do your audit, you can create goals that are better aligned with your personal beliefs and with what best motivates you and drives your behavior.
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Core Values Audit
I created a Notion template to make doing this audit simple; just follow the prompts; it does everything for you! (Simply click “duplicate” in the top right to be able to interact with the template.) The template includes 100+ values to choose from.
Think of your core values as key drivers behind the decisions you make; they shape who you are and the actions and behaviors you take.
As you look through the values:
- Choose the ones that speak to you and feel are priorities to you.
- Check the “Top 10” checkbox first on the template, and it will put them on your list.
- Then, once you do that, you can start to narrow it down until you have 3–5.
After you identify your core values, you can:
- feel more confident in your decisions
- understand and follow your gut
- define what success means to you
A Personal Action Statement
There are two different types of “mission” statements, but a mission statement is a little different from a vision statement.
So, I am calling these action statements.
Both require you to take action!
Last year I created a personal mission statement for the year. However, after re-reading it, I realized it was actually a vision statement.
With the emphasis I am putting into a visualization practice this year, and after realizing that I actually wrote a vision statement last year, I am going to write a personal vision statement again this year.
Your Action Statement Will:
- outline your overall aim; overarching purpose, or goal
- be more specific details related to your overarching aim; your objectives/results.
Because both action statements will summarize what your actions will be working towards, just read the description of both and choose which one sounds like it will help you the most.
Mission Statement:
- Outlines a company’s or person’s primary reason for existence; your purpose.
- It defines your objectives, or what you intend to achieve—the results—when you fulfill your purpose, through your actions (not defined yet).
Overall, it is 1-2 sentences that describe your overarching purpose and the objectives/results you intend to obtain. Keep it to 1–3 key objectives.
Examples of a mission statement:
LinkedIn: “To connect the world’s professionals [their specific purpose] to make them more productive and successful [objectives/results].”
Adobe: “To move the web forward [specific purpose] and give web designers and developers the best tools and services [objectives/results] in the world.”
Vision Statement:
- Outlines your long-term goal(s); your desired outcomes.
- It defines your objectives—the results you intend to achieve—when you reach your goal(s), through your actions (not defined yet).
Overall, it is 1-2 sentences that describe your long-term goal(s) and something you intend to achieve, the objectives/results, of reaching your goal(s). Keep it to 1–3 key objectives.
Examples of a Vision Statement:
Google: ”To provide access to the world’s information [desired outcome/long-term goal] in one click [objective].”
Walmart: “We save people money [objective] so they can live better [outcome/goal].”
No matter which you choose to write, both should be something that motivates you to do the actions necessary to help you reach your desired future.
Final Thoughts
Why identify your core values and create an action statement?
Well, if I were to summarize, it would be:
- Core values drive your daily actions.
- Your action statement should motivate you to take those daily actions and summarize what you are working towards in the upcoming year.
Identifying and connecting to your core values will help in the next step in your yearly planning, which is setting some long-term and short-term goals.
When you know how you want to act, you can create long-term and short-term goals that are aligned with what matters most to you. When you are working towards desired results that matter to you and are acting in a way that you believe matters, it is easier to stay motivated to do what you need to do to accomplish your goals.
No matter which personal action statement you write, both will get you thinking about long-term goals. In the next step of your yearly planning, you will actually set and define short-term goals and break those down into small projects and the weekly and daily tasks that need to be done to achieve your goals and desired future.
Thank you for reading!
Enjoy the article? Clap 👏🏽 & Comment 🗨️ to let me know. Want to read more like this or have a question, leave a comment.
Look for the next post in this series. It will be all about setting your long- and short-term goals. I will have a Notion template to use to make this simple. See you then!
If you missed Parts 1 & 2, check them out here:
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