What are you all about?
Aside from your job title, awards and diplomas, and material possessions, do you know what you’re really all about? If you can’t answer that question, then keep reading. You’re about to become a mom on a mission.
Mission statements have been a strategic planning tool for companies and organizations for years. They’re used to convey who the company is, what it stands for and why it’s in business. Ultimately, a company’s mission statement provides direction and often guides decision making. It’s a statement of purpose that ensures the company stays on track; it clarifies the company’s reason for being.
Wowthat sounds like something working moms could use!
Imagine for a moment, you’re standing in the pounding surf of the ocean. Each wave builds upon the last, until finally you’re thrown to the ocean floor. Water covers your head. As you struggle to get your head above water, you feel like you might drown, but somehow you don’t. Sopping wet you stagger to your feet, regain your footing in the wet sand and brace for the next wave. And on and on it goes. This is how it feels to be a working mother.
A mission statement is your anchor. Facing the crashing surf of working motherhood wouldn’t be as daunting if you could just hold on to something solid - something that could guarantee that you’d always have a safe way to land on your feet.
I crafted my first mission statement not long after becoming a new mother. Prior to this, I’d focused mostly on goal-setting. My life was a series of achievements - graduate from college, find a job, get married, buy a house, etc. It wasn’t until I became a highly-accomplished (yet miserable) 28-year-old working mother that I realized just how unaccomplished I truly felt.
A personal mission statement answers the fundamental question, what am I all about? Becoming a mother forced me to begin an in-depth investigation for the answer. As I stared into the wide, innocent eyes of my child, I began to see the significance of knowing myself, and my purpose. Without a mission, or reason for being, I was destined to teach my children that success meant the accumulation of awards, assets and power. I knew I wanted something different for them, and myself.
A mission statement also brings about a greater sense of balance. My mission statement is both my anchor and my compass. When faced with periods of uncertainty, it provides me with confidence because I know I won’t get lost. If I’m faced with indecision, it guides me in the right direction. My mission statement has been the saving grace that rescues me when I feel like everything else is failing. It gives me focus, meaning and purpose.
Want to see what could possibly accomplish all those things for me? Here is my personal mission statement:
I am a woman of faith, integrity and abundance.
My success is defined by the richness of my relationships,
the depth of my character, and my ability to
always access my potential for greatness.
Your personal mission statement is a reflection of who you are, what you’re about and what you value. Above all, it’s personal. This means that it can be as long, or as short, as you wish. I’ve seen mission statements longer than mine, and as short as a three-word phrase. The only “rule” for your personal mission statement is that it means something to you.
(By the way, just because it’s called a personal mission statement doesn’t mean you should keep it to yourself. In fact, I encourage you to let people whom you trust read your mission statement, and then invite their feedback.)
Keep in mind that your mission statement is a living document. Once written your mission statement isn’t cast into an iron mold. I’ve personally revised mine many times since it was originally crafted. So, begin the process of writing your mission statement knowing that it will (and should!) evolve as you mature and grow. Plan to refer to it regularly. I have mine posted near my computer and use it weekly as a tool for filtering to-do’s and meetings into my schedule.
“Ok, I’m ready to write my mission statement. Where to I begin?” The song Unwritten by Natasha Bedingfield comes to mind. The song opens with the lyrics:
I am unwritten
Can’t read my mind, I’m undefined
I’m just beginning, the pen’s in my hand, ending unplanned
Staring at the blank page before you
Open up the dirty window
Let the sun illuminate the words that you can not find
Reaching for something in the distance
So close you can almost taste it
Release your inhibitions.
The perfect place to start is to let go of preconceived ideas, “shoulds,” and other limiting beliefs. There is not a wrong or right way to write your mission statement. You are unwritten and you can “release your inhibitions” to design a mission statement that is deeply meaningful to you. So start there.
Next, begin to examine your past success. What characteristics did you embody? What values were being expressed? Also consider the success of people, living or not, whom you admire. Then look forward and think about what you want from the future. Who do you want to become? What do you want to accomplish 10, 20, and 50 years in the future? What legacy do you want to leave for your children?
Finally, just start writing. Write without stopping for 10 minutes. Try not to self-edit yourself. Simply pour onto paper everything, and anything, that comes to mind. Don’t worry about format, grammar or coherence. You’ll have time to edit later. And that’s ityou’re on your way to being a “M.O.M.: Mother On a Mission!”
Interested in learning more? For additional, in-depth guidance and coaching on being a “Mother On a Mission” stay tuned for the second edition of our eBook/home study program, which will release under a new title, The Integrated Motherâ„: Finding Your Groove in the Chaos of Work & Life, on May 17, 2006. Watch your email for an announcement soon.
For more in-depth guidance and coaching on being a “mom on a mission,” visit http://www.integratedmother.com to learn more about the second edition of our eBook/home study program, which will release under a new title, The Integrated Motherâ„: Finding Your Groove in the Chaos of Work & Life, on May 17, 2006.
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Reprint Information:
©2006 The Integrated Mother and Michele R. Dortch. All rights reserved. You are free to reprint this article as long as you include complete attribution, including live web site link. Also, please let us know by email to info@integratedmother.com where the article will appear. The attribution should read:
“By Michele Dortch of The Integrated Mother, a nationwide coaching and professional development company providing work/life solutions for working mothers, and their employers. Visit www.integratedmother.com to sign up for a FREE Work/Life Makeover Kit.”
Michele Dortch is the Founder of The Integrated Mother, a nationwide coaching and professional development company providing work+life solutions for working mothers, and their employers. Get your FREE ’Work+Life Makeover Kit’ at http://www.worklifemakeoverkit.com
