A mission statement is something you commonly find in business and nonprofit organizations. It dictates what the values and big picture goals are of the business. It is a guide for decision making and helps keep everyone going in the same direction.
Have you ever thought about creating a mission statement for your family? It is a great way to start a conversation about what your families values are and how you want to spend your time toegether and separately. While some elements might change over time as your kids age, likely your core values will remain.
So how do you start?
Gather family input
It starts with getting everyone around the table to share their input. This is an info gathering session to hear what each person has on their mind.
The key is having an open conversation, no bad ideas, and building trust. If this is the first time you’re trying something like this it might need to be over a few shorter sessions so people feel comfortable opening up.
Here are some ways you can start the conversation:
💙 plan it ahead of time. Let everyone know in advance so they can be prepared.
💙 lead by example. You and your partner may need to kick things off.
💙 ask questions and share examples. It’s easier when you aren’t starting from a blank slate.
Sample questions you can use
✅ What things do you love that we do as a family?
✅ What types of activities would you like to do more of?
✅ When you think about our family, what types of feelings does it bring up?
✅ How would you like other people to describe our family?
✅ What are you most proud of?
✅ In the next 3-5 years, what do you se our family looking like?
✅ How do you feel most supported?
Keeping the conversation positive is a great way to start and keep people comfortable with sharing.
Put your common themes together
Naturally you’ll see some themes will shine. Bring the family together again and share what your commonalities are and ask if everyone agrees.
Ask any follow up questions that have come up and have a final brainstom session.
Draft your mission statement
Now comes the fun part. Time to write out your families statement and get everyone to sign off on it. You can start with simple value statements like:
💙 Sharing family history and ancestory regularly.
💙 Be good citizens of our community
💙 Be fiscally minded.
💙 Travel the world (in our home and out in the wild).
💙 Show gratitude daily.
💙 Be kind…always.
Once you have these down you can start to expand on them and get more specific. This could happen over time as you come together a few times a year to review and reflect.
A simple Google search will give you all sorts of examples if you’re feeling stuck.
Post them where everyone can see them
It’s not just enough to draft them. Keep them posted somewhere that you can see and be reminded all the time. In the kitchen, your entry way, or whatever your families central hub is.
I’d love to see your mission statements. Share them with me on Facebook or Instagram.