I admit we don’t have a family mission statement. We’ve wanted to do one but just didn’t know where to start or how to go about it. I’m guessing we aren’t the only ones. I’m so grateful to Anne, our guest blogger today! She not only explains the importance of having a family mission statement but takes us through the process of how to create one.

Anne, her husband Eric, and 4 children are currently chasing their dream in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.  If you visited her home on any given day, you’d smell bread baking, hear music being played, songs being sung or Chinese being spoken.  Join their adventure at Island School House

Cocoa’s request to write this post could not have come at a better time. Our family has just moved to another country, and everything is different. The food doesn’t taste the same, the beds are hard, the appliances are smaller and instructions are in Cyrillic. Nothing smells right, no one really understands us and getting around is difficult. And yet, as we gather together as a family, we have found solace in things that are familiar. I came to realize early on that the habits and traditions that we built as a family were the glue that was holding us together. Reading scriptures together, praying as a family, behavior rules, and household habits all helped our family settle in. Every one of those habits and behaviors stem from values contained within our family mission statement.

I first heard about mission statements many years ago while listening to a book by Stephen Covey on cassette tape. (Yes, it really was that long ago!) It was years later that my husband and I actually sat down and composed our first mission statement. That first attempt was poorly done and even more poorly executed. I do not remember reading it again after writing the initial draft. Then, in 2009, as part of the Cedar City Family Festival, I attended a seminar about Teaching Self Government and Family Mission Statements. The things that I learned from Nicoleen Peck and Jodie Palmer in this seminar set me on fire! I gathered my family together and over a series of family home evenings, we hammered carved out what has become one of our greatest resources.

Family mission statements are not a list of goals. Family goals are things the family wants to do or achieve. A family mission statement is the expression of the values, purpose and priorities that will help your family achieve their goals. It will provide you with the focus you need to “muddle through the middle” of every day life and keep your passion and dreams alive.

The first step in the process begins as a couple, alone, without the children present. Going through the process as a couple before involving the children ensures that you are on the same page and ready for the additional input.

The best place to start is with the question, “where do we want to be in 10 years…, in 20 years…, in 30 years…
• spiritually?
• physically?
• financially?
• emotionally?
• intellectually?
• relationally with each other?
• as part of our community?

The answers to these questions are not necessarily part of your mission statement, but the values that will get you there are!

Questions to consider when developing a family mission statement:
1. What makes you happy? What are those things in life that put a smile on your face and get you through your difficult days?
2. What makes us fulfilled? What are those things in life that bring us the most satisfaction and leave us with the feeling of completeness?
3. What do we want for ourselves and for our family? What are our hopes, dreams, aspirations not only for our family, but for ourselves as well?
4. What is most important to you about your family?
5. What are your collective goals?
6. When do you feel most connected to one another?
7. How would you like to relate to one another?
8. Describe your family’s strengths.
9. What do you value? (For example, relationships, faith, independence, wealth, hard work, generosity.)

After answering these as a couple, and then again as a family, spend time working out the values that cause you to answer the way that you do. These values are the heart of your vision. These values are your mission statement.

Have Mom or Dad write a final draft and make sure everyone in your family receives their own copy. Hang a copy up in a prominent place in your home and read your mission statement together as a family on a daily basis. Remember, your family will continue to grow physically and spiritually over the years and therefore your mission statement may expand! Do not be afraid to adjust or add to your mission statement. Also, remember that family mission statements do not need to be complicated, they only need to be true.

Now that you have your family mission statement, you have the basis for an amazing family culture. Family culture is what influences the relationships, the accomplishment of goals and the creation of character. Your family mission statement will enable you to make choices based on your family’s values. Any situation that arises should be measured against the standard of your mission statement.

Other simple ideas for increasing the power of your mission statement:
• Memorize and recite your mission statement daily
• Create a family cheer / standard / motto
• Have the kids create art work about the mission statement
• Choose a single word that stands for your family
• Create a family flag
• Write a family song
• Create family traditions
• Write life plans

Thanks so much Anne! I’ve created a pdf download based on Anne’s post to help you and your family in creating you family mission statement. Click below to download.

Don’t forget to visit The Red Headed Hostess, Welcome to the Madness, and We Talk of Christ today to see what wonderful goodness they have about the Family Proclamation!

Now it’s your turn to share! Do you have a family mission statement? Write a blog post telling us about it then link to it here. You are also welcome to link any posts you have written about the Family Proclamation. Please be sure to use the link to your post not to your blog’s home page. This linky will be up on all four blogs but you only have to enter your post once. It will automatically show up on the other blogs as well. Easy for you!

And now for today’s giveaway:

We are so happy to be able to participate in this awesome celebration of The Family: A Proclamation to the World. I have a testimony of it’s truthfulness. Our shop {You’re Gonna Love This} is pleased to give $30 to our handstamped jewelry store. You may choose between our premade items or create a custom listing all your own. Thanks so much!

Find us on facebook @ You’re Gonna Love This
Check out our blog @ www.youregonnalovethis.blogspot.com
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