The Family Mission Statement – A Perfect Guide For Tough Decisions

Mission statements are something that companies often use to guide their employees decisions, and a vision of what the company expects for them. I believe making a mission statement for your own family is a great idea!

A mission statement is a way to put into words what you expect from each other, a vision of your family unit, and a perfect guide for tough decisions. Wikipedia describes a mission statement as:

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… a statement of the purpose of a company and organization. The mission statement should guide the actions of the organization, spell out its overall goal, provide a sense of direction, and guide decision-making. It provides "the framework or context within which the company’s strategies are formulated."
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I think this can work perfectly for a family as well! It starts with a discussion between Mom and Dad about what is most important to the family. We started by making a list and jotting down lots of ideas. It becomes an important and thought provoking conversation, and one that is important to have!

This is what our statement ended up being:

We the Bond Family Establish to live by two basic principles:

1. We will love and honor God and others
2. We will always be thankful for our blessings

Vowing that we will always do our very best by:

1. Never putting other things before our family
2. Always treating others with respect, kindness, love, patience, and compassion
3. Giving to those in need and helping others
4. Lovingly supporting each other as we strive to reach our individual potentials
5. Being thankful for our home, our belongings, and our bodies by taking good care of them
6. Uplifting and supporting each other in times of need, knowing that we can depend on one another
7. Having the discipline to walk away from activities, entertainment, and relationships that are not consistent with our values
8. Remembering that our home is our sanctuary, filled with love and laughter, where we are safe and comfortable so that we can feel inspired and renewed

These all may seem like basic principals, and obvious "rules to live by",  but they are also sometimes easy to forget when life speeds by so quickly, or doesn’t go as planned.

I printed our statement out onto a piece of magnetic paper so that I could have it on the refrigerator.  It is not posted up so other people can come to our house and see our mission for our family, but as a daily reminder of what we strive for as a family.  Even though our children are very small, I want it to always be there for them to see, and read as they get older.  When it comes time for them to make tough decisions, I hope they will think about that family mission statement that they have walked past a thousand times on the fridge, and use what it says to guide them.  I hope that you use our statement as an example and make one that fits your family and what is important to you!