My Mission Statement

Every major company, and most not-so-major ones, have mission statements- what it is they hope to accomplish by existing. Each person should have a mission statement, too. What is it you hope to do with your life? What do you hope to accomplish? I have been considering this concept for a bit, and am going to attempt to put into words what I want to get out of life as well as what I have to offer.

I want to give all I can, all the time. I want to see the positive side of things, and remember that although sometimes it seems my life is falling apart, it is actually falling together. I will remember that nothing will ruin my life forever, and most of the time the things that stress me out the most don't need to be all that stressful. I choose to not be a victim of the circumstances of my life. Instead I choose to overcome the obstacles and challenges that are put before me, learn from them, and make myself a better person because of those challenges. I will be the best possible parent I can be to my kids and the best possible friend I can be to those who need me. I will love my family, kids and friends unconditionally and will do anything I can for them. I will do my best to emulate the good I see in others. I do not expect everything in life to be easy or perfect, and I will do my best to make the best of each situation. I understand that I will not live up to these expectations every moment of every day. I will forgive myself for not being perfect, but will learn and grow from my mistakes. I will do my best to see myself as others see me and love myself as others love me.

My oldest son watched as I wrote this. He asked if I would ask him questions and write down the answers, and I said of course. (Anything to get inside the mind of my kids!) So, I described to him the concept of a mission statement, and asked him what his personal mission statement would be- what kind of person does he want to be, how does he want to live his life and how would he want people to describe him? Kind of deep-seeded stuff for a 9-year-old, but with some coaching, I got the following answers:

"I want to be a good person by not being mean. I will be a good person by being nice to other people, by helping them with things they need help with and listening to them. Depending on what it is, I might like to help someone clean up. In school, the teachers like it when the kids listen to the rules. I want to be a friendly person. I want people to describe me as adventurous and very kind."

Not bad for a kid. I hope that I can help keep him on track of his mission statement, and help him change it as needed. And in the same way, I hope that my kids can help me keep on track with my mission statement and help me remember why it is that I have to be a positive influence on them and others. I think we've all done a pretty good job so far.