Create a Family Mission Statement

When running a successful business, a mission statement helps members to focus on common goals and values. A family mission statement can help clarify what you hope to achieve as a family and help make it a more cohesive unit.  It can help keep you centered on what is important, make better use of your resources (such as time and money), and learn to say no to things that don't support your mission.

When creating a family mission statement, it is important to involve everyone in its planning rather than just announcing it.  If kids take part in forming it, they are more likely to support it. Parents should guide the conversation, but include kids' inputs whenever possible. It's also important to value everyone's thoughts, even if you don't agree with or share them.

The dinner table is a great place to discuss your statement. It can take several discussions to touch on everything you want to include. Don't rush it. Your statement will evolve over time, until you find that you are left with something that concisely represents your family unit.

Questions for dialogue include:
• How money should be saved and spent
• Goals for education, career and using special talents
• How family members can live up to their potential
• How the family will help others and themselves
• Best use of the family's time

A Sample Family Mission Statement*
The mission of our family is…
to create a place of order, truth, love, happiness, and relaxation; and…
to provide opportunities for each person to become
responsibly independent and effectively interdependent,…
in order to achieve worthwhile purposes.
Our Family Mission
To love each other…
To help each other…
To believe in each other…
To wisely use our time, talents, and resources to bless others…
To worship together…
Forever.
*From the “Personal Leadership Application Workbook” for
Stephen Covey's The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People

Now that you've formed your statement, the next step is to keep in a place where it will be seen often. Don't just write it and forget it — to truly put it into practice, it needs to be in the forefront of everyone's mind. Post it on the fridge, a bulletin board, or wherever it will be seen on a daily basis.

Resource: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Families by Stephen Covey