Claudia and I are working on refining our mission statement. It’s been a learning process and we’re just about finished, all but the very last sentence! Perhaps when it’s completed, we’ll have to share it with you.
I’ve come to realize writing a mission statement is much like brainstorming. It’s a process and you have to stick at it till you come up with something you like.
Like brainstorming, there are strategies that help the process along. Here are three that we are using:
1. Start by supporting each others ideas. There’s nothing more deflating than then putting something out there and then having someone say, “Eh, I don’t like that.” How about saying, “Ooh, I like where you’re going with that. Keep going!” This will help build your momentum.
2. Throw everything out there. Sometimes you need throw a bunch of ideas out there before you get to something good. It’s like you have to get rif of the bad ideas before you get down to the good stuff. But, I guarantee you, if you throw 100 ideas out there, one of them is going to be good. You only need one.
3. Set a deadline and remind yourself it doesn’t have to be perfect. This one I have to constantly remind myself of. I can get so caught up in wanting the mission statement to be perfect that I never end up completing it. Realize a mission statement is something you will revisit and tweak as you go along.
If you’re looking for a more in-depth guide for writing a mission statement and one that we referenced, click here.
Question: What are some tips you use to get your creative juices flowing?
You guys are both turning into self-improvement experts! 🙂
This is something that we need to do, but simply haven’t had the time. I’m looking forward to doing this in the near future, though. I think for me that step 3 would be the most important. It’s better to have some direction that no direction at all, right?
Yeah totally, Ryan. That’s what I had to keep reminding myself.
We actually were able to get most of it written on an hour car ride the other day. We had a some thoughts jotted down before hand, but were able to put it together fairly quickly.
Wow! We have an hour ride quite often, but it seems like we’re usually focused on what is going on at the current time. Maybe we just need to adjust our focus to something out a little further. 🙂 Thanks for being a good example!
I’d be lying in I told you we were always that productive on car rides. But, this was something that was important to us and we decided to prioritize it and make it happen.
Thanks for the 48day Mission document link. We have never developed a family mission. I have done some personal work on Mission using the FAA IDEA group format. It’s a little tough to boil it down to a few sentences, but it keeps it in front of you easily. I’m still working on it, in fact. I’ll review the 48Days info and see if it helps trigger something. As far as creative juices, for me, it just takes me setting aside a block of time and saying to myself ‘start writing’…not caring if it”s good or not. There is always a nugget that is Gold in there.
Michael,
Yeah, I can relate to needing to just start writing. It takes a little bit to get the wheels turning.
We struggled a little with how long it should be as well. We decided to keep it pretty short, I think around 5 sentences or so.
Michael – my creative juices always seem to flow under the influence of being out in nature or listening to music. Both carry equal weight to help me along in the process. Both environments have been the inspiration source for many of my blog posts. I seem to come alive spurring me on to bigger and better things.
That’s awesome, Cindy! I love being outside too. What’s your connecting with music? Are you a musician?
No connection Michael other than a total appreciation for music and the healing it can bring on so many levels.
Wonderful suggestions Michael. I have to agree – #3 is where I get stuck. But nothing is engraved in stone and things can always be changed and tweaked – so we don’t have to get it perfect – we just have to get it going!
Ann,
I realized I was putting a lot of pressure on myself to come up with something super profound, it was a mission statement after all!
That wasn’t working so well, so we backed off and decided to roll with what we had. And, we’re actually very happy with it. I’m sure we’ll change it at some put down the road, but for now, I feel like it represents what we want to do.
Excited for you guys, can’t wait to see what you’ve come up with!
Thanks, Jason. We are excited to have finally put something together.
oh, i love this Mike!
“Set a deadline and remind yourself it doesn’t have to be perfect” it’s so easy to get caught up in feeling that something must be PERFECT, and then it becomes so large it immobilizes us and keeps use from just taking a shot at it. “But, I guarantee you, if you throw 100 ideas out there, one of them is going to be good. You only need one.” Oh, the freedom that comes from saying “hey, I’m just going to give it a go, and we’ll see what happens”!
Wise words, brother 🙂
Hey thanks, Crystal!
I love how you do this. You’ve done some very cool things (traveled all over the globe, gone on crazy outdoor adventures, you’re getting married to a guy who wants the best for you and will challenge you in a good way…). I’m sure you didn’t have everything perfectly figured out for each one of them.
it’s true! it is crazy looking back on some the the adventures and trips i’ve gone on and often how little detail was planned and how everything fell together and made to be some incredible life changing experiences!
That’s awesome, Crystal! Isn’t that interesting that those adventures and trips are the life changing experiences?
By the way, Claudia and I had a great time meeting Andrew’s family! They’re are such a cool family; I love how they are passionate and excited about the things they are doing.
Looking forward to getting to know Andrew better and hopefully seeing his family some more as well!
Awesome you two! Number 3 is actually my most powerful motivator… Having a deadline makes me get it done and make a decision… Just remember, this doesn’t have to be perfect to begin with, but it has to sit well with you. Dan’s formula you listed is an excellent tool!
I always help people try to make it as simple as possible. If you can get it in a few words or sentence so you’ll remember it then awesome. As long as you know it covers the basis of your abilities, personality, values, and your dreams and passions. Once you have a basic guiding sentence, then you can begin adding flavor to it as you go along. Dress it up and make it fuller.
The idea is to get that one needle pointed north for you. The needle says, “That is where I’m going, that is what my life is all about”… You might say, “I (or we) am here to_______________ ” And just fill in the blank….
I think when all is said and done, you two are going to have your own powerful process for developing a mission statement. That what it takes; Living it! Keep makin’ it happen…
Rob,
Great advice here! Your advice about simplicity is a good one for me.
Do you think it’s best to have a different mission statement for all the roles of life, i.e. personal, marriage/family, business?
That’s a great question, Michael! And you’re going to get different perspectives on this one. I do think it’s a good idea to have a handle on what you value most or what life roles you serve well in right now and start from there. Try to bring together all roles and see how they can meld together towards a common theme.
My direction in life (mission) pretty much encompasses all life roles. No matter what happens in each area, family, health, God, Career, I should not sway from the direction where I know my life gets its most fulfillment.
Now, since I have the Mission for my life in one little statement, I can create a more concrete or tangible mission for each life role. Right now, I have my life Mission, and one of the current goals is for us to work on the Marriage Mission specifically.
You can always get more defined and intentional along the way, but knowing the general sense where everything is pointed will help you drive those area home quicker and I think with better clarity.
I like that Rob. Finding a common theme between them all… but make sure it stems from you direct life’s mission. That is a good filter.
[…] my values and beliefs. This is where you want to take a step back and write out something like a mission statement. Working through a process like this will really help you clarify what you want your life to look […]
[…] If you think a mission statement is something you’d like to put together, I’d suggest this resource and these tips. […]