Trying to define your “personal / professional mission statement” is an interesting thing. It exposes a lot about how you perceive your place in the world and who or what you’re trying to achieve. I’ve heard other speakers and leaders call it “Finding Your Why.” The purpose behind everything your do (usually professionally).
This is an exercise I’ve actually done a few times before. Most recently, at the Beyond Movement: Coaching for Coaches workshop by friend and movement thought leader Carl Paoli.
Toward the middle of the class, Carl had us write out answers to the following:
- Who am I?
- What do I do?
- Who do I do it for?
- What do (people) need?
- What impact do I make when I meet that need?
I was fairly quick to fill out the first 4 parts. It was that last one that left me on pause for a minute. What is my impact and how do I measure that?
- I’m Dr. Scott Mills
- A professional movement provider
- For athletes and active people of all levels
- That need help eliminating pain and improving the way they move.
Now for the hard part…the part I hadn’t really thought much about. And not only that, why I think it’s the biggest thing I took away from the class.
5. So they can have good health and move well for a lifetime.
As I have now crossed into my 40s, my perspective on both my work, my legacy and why I do what I do continues to evolve. The reality is that when I look around, choosing to engage in regular vigorous activity and care (a lot) about what I eat is a contrarian lifestyle choice. But the folks trying to stave off the degeneration attached to modernity, those are my people.
And that’s the piece I was missing. The WHY!
I truly feel invigorated having a clearer, fuller picture of why I’m doing what I’m doing in the context of my ultimate impact on people’s lives. Adding that has given me lots of ideas for the now and the future of what I’m doing. Stay tuned!
The last piece to the puzzle for me was realizing I haven’t had a real tangible way to measure my impact. I’ve fleshed this out in a few strains:
1. Testimonials – of both in person patients (Yelp / Google reviews, etc) and online program members.
2. Referrals – people having a positive experience interacting with me either in person or online and telling others that they care about is the highest form of feedback I can receive.
3. Performances – one of my favorite things is getting to cheer on my athletes in their chosen endeavors. Whether weightlifting or CrossFit competitions, run, triathlons, basketball games, or pain free activities of daily living – I celebrate when they achieve their goals.
All of this measurable feedback is what keeps me motivated to be the best at what I do and to keep improving. This was probably my biggest take away from Carl’s class. Know your mission and be able to measure the impact!
Have you ever written out your mission statement? Do you know how to measure your impact? Share it below!
Yours in health & strength,
Dr. Scott
Stop chasing pain and wasting your time! Snag my complete Video Rehab Program The Full Body Fix and take $10 off with a subscriber only coupon and grab my Free Warm Up Manual while you’re at it!
Last modified: August 22, 2018
I'm Dr. Scott A. Mills and I'm a chiropractor in San Francisco who creates resources for athletes and everyday people to eliminate pain and improve the way you move.