photo credit: Kevin N. Murphy
Do you ever look at your children or your partner and wonder what exactly are you doing here? And what is in the cards for the future? If you do not know where you want to go as a family, you may need a family mission statement to help you sort it all out.
When most people think of a mission statement they imagine a business. Mission statements outline what the goals, plans, and hopes are. As well as putting down in writing what you want to avoid and how you want to connect. Despite it’s business roots, creating a mission statement for your family can be the perfect way to connect together. Having a definitive statement lets you see how connected you are as a family, especially helpful as your children become older and more independent. A family mission statement also lets you explore where you want your family to grow in the future, what you want your family to be remembered for.
Best of all, sitting down to work on a family mission statement creates lines of communication between everyone in the family. What a great way to work on a family bond!
Ready to create your own? Here are some questions to start with:
- What values do you put above others? Discuss everyone’s individual answers and see if you can put together a list of family values.
- What values do you want your family to focus more on?
- What values do you want your family to focus less on?
- What long-term goal do you want your family to work towards?
- Where do you want your family income to be in 10 years?
- How do you want family members to treat each other?
- What do you want your children to remember when they are older?
These are just a few of the questions you can ask to piece together a great family mission statement. The point of it all is to map out how you want your family to live, both now and in the future. Where do you want to take your family as you all grow?
If you need help FranklinCovey has a free Mission Statement Builder. You can work through a set of questions that will make you stop and think about how you want your family to live. They also have a store where you can order your mission state printed on a beautiful poster to hang in your home.
Don’t worry about fitting in someone else’s ideal family. Your family is unique, and for a good reason. Crafting a family mission statement will help you better see your family for what it is, and help you know where you want it to be.
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