Personal Mission Statement Template (Page 4 of 5) in pdf

Fourth, my role as a son, brother and friend: I will honor the memory of my parents. I will

stay in close touch with my brothers Tim and Jon. I will also stay in close touch with my

relatives, neighbors and colleagues, and nurture my large network of friends and colleagues.

Fifth, my role as a professor, film producer, director of the Center for Environmental

Filmmaking, President of the MacGillivray Freeman Films Educational Foundation, CEO

of VideoTakes, author, speaker, board member, and other professional responsibilities: A

major part of my life is my work as a professor and filmmaker at American University. My goal

is to be a wonderfully inspirational professor, always available to my students, and constantly

encouraging, supporting and challenging them. I intend to provide my students with a life-

changing experience. I want to be renowned for my exceptional teaching skills and for getting

my students actively engaged in their own learning.

By working closely with my colleagues, I will help make the Center for Environmental

Filmmaking into a powerhouse of national and international influence on films relating to

conservation. I will continue to establish trusting relationships with all my colleagues and help

them achieve their goals. I will find ways to express my appreciation and gratitude to them.

I will accomplish my goals at the Center by running a “virtual corporation” with a minimum of

bureaucracy and red tape, by making judicious use of the expertise of faculty and staff at SOC,

and by operating in a mood of entrepreneurial hustle, passionate enthusiasm and high

productivity.

I will also serve to the best of my ability as President of the MacGillivray Freeman Films

Educational Foundation, CEO of VideoTakes, Inc., author of a book on wildlife filmmaking,

presenter and keynote speaker, and board member of many nonprofits. See the separate

document Goals for Chris Palmer for more details.

Sixth, my role as a person who values the miracle of humor: I will honor and embrace humor

as a major part of my life. It has a power and exhilaration which can accomplish extraordinary

things, including bringing people closer together, teaching me to laugh at myself, activating the

immune system, healing the mind and the body, putting breakdowns and challenges into

perspective, and deflating tense situations. Laughter is an amazing and wonderful phenomenon. I

will deepen my understanding of the value of humor and, more generally, the value of

perspective. I will become a more competent observer of the humor in the mundane and routine,

and I will use more humor in my journal and in my letters.

Seventh, my role as a “role model” for dealing competently, gracefully and patiently with

old age and death: I will become immersed in reinterpreting what it means for someone to

“retire” so it becomes an incredibly active and productive part of my later life. I want to live my

life in crescendo and make meaningful, vigorous contributions to society in my old age. I will

grow older with grace, dignity and joy, and I will plan for my death so it is a fulfilling and

positive experience.

Personal Mission Statement Template Page 4