Has anyone created a mission statement? It can be useful to create a mission statement, to create a sense of purpose and direction, much the same as most corporate entities do. My wife and I first wrote a mission statement about 20 years ago, it's changed over the years , but it has served us well when difficult joint decisions have needed to be made. Creating a mission statement is really quite simple. All you need to do is to write down a list of beliefs and intentions. Arrange them in order of priority, then sign at the bottom of the list. This will require a lot of interesting negotiations for a couple, but will be of terrific value for future joint decisions. Signing formalises the statement and gives it the power it deserves. The statement should then be displayed in a private place, where only you will see it. Here is an example of a mission statement for an individual: I shall always put my health and safety first. I shall only spend 4 hours a day on the computer I shall be Honest and sincere in every way I will walk for 30 minutes every day. I will visit family once a month I will take responsibility for my actions and I will not blame others. I will stay within my budget I shall only eat takeaway once a week. I shall treat others with respect. And for a couple: We will always put the children’s health and safety first We shall only spend 4 hours a day on the computer We shall be Honest and sincere in every way We will walk for 30 minutes every day. We will visit family once a month We will take responsibility for our actions and will not blame others. We will stay within our budget We shall only eat takeaway once a week. We shall treat others with respect. We will alternate Xmas lunch with each others family.
I was required to complete mission statements on a couple of past jobs. One was related to a software upgrade for a larger company. The mission statement focused on what needed to be accomplished from a standpoint of training and future cost reduction. Not very personal stuff, lol. The mission statements you have above are much more personal and heart felt. I hadn't thought about doing it from the standpoint of a couple before. I think your mission statements are fantastic and the one for couples is very sweet.
Thank you for your comment. Having a mission statement really works for an individual, but particularly for a couple as it allows them to make quick aligned decisions. The concept of a personal mission statement was brought to my attention over 20 years ago by Stephen Covey in his book "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People"
Yes, I think it's important to write that stuff out and then hold yourself accountable. Many times, you think you are complying with your own values and priorities when you really aren't.
I actually have a life vision which is a longer mission statement. You state your goals and purpose for your life in all categories in detail.
Focus on streamlining your idea; then focus on getting funding; then move onto building a prototype, etc. If you have the vision to attack your goal piece by piece, it's easier and less daunting to execute.
Hippy, Great to know that you and your wife created a mission statement together . I've recently created a mission statement for my life and I'm going to have it frame so I can see it everyday. Creating one's mission statement is the first step; the second step should be referring to it daily. One suggestion would be to frame it and place it on the wall.
Hi Shellon, Good to hear that you've created your own mission statement and framing it is a great idea. Framing it would have been great for us also, but, to be honest ours was just a handwritten statement which was created before we had a computer. We stuck it next our bedroom mirror so that only we would see it every day. In many ways it made life's man decisions much easier to make and creating a joint statement is very powerful. As an example: Back in the mid nineties we had some offbeat friends who had an old car without seat belts. They had 3 young daughters and we also had 3 young daughters, who all went to school together. Our friends would occasionally pick up all 6 girls and take them home to their place which was only 500 yards from the school. When we found out that they were driving rather than walking the girls in a car without seat belts we politely cancelled the arrangement. When they asked why? we politely explained, but for them that was the end of the friendship. For us it was an easy decision to make because at the top of our statement was written "We will always put the children’s health and safety first". Telling our friends wasn't easy, but it had to be done.....it was our mission. Regards Peter
I've created one for my personal brand, it mostly applies to social media. It helps you get clear and have a purpose and direction!
Nice post! I must say that keeps reminding us of our duties and responsibilities. It is indeed a very good idea to jot down such points.
