What if I asked you to sit down and write a mission statement for your life? Would you be game or think I was inane?
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I had a great time talking with Amanda about happiness, consumerism, cake and clothes. Her pod is all about loving clothes, eschewing capitalism and the atrocities of fast fashion. We took it off the rails a bit this week and had a delightful chat. xo
We may think that mission statements are something only businesses need (and do they really need them?). But, understanding the purpose of those declarations, couldn’t we all benefit from stating what our intentions are for life, for love, for relationships, for money and, yes, for the business we want to start?
The purpose of a mission statement is to keep everyone focused on the goal at hand, and not be distracted by anything shiny. Successful businesses abide by their mission statement, or amend it if/when they’ve outgrown it. Businesses that bite the dust typically take their eyes off the prize because other opportunities arise that seem smart to partake in. But those choices end up taking the company off course and/or toward financial doom, and rarely do they recover. (Examples of companies who didn’t follow their mission statements: Enron, Lehman Bros., Theranos.)
A mission statement isn’t meant to limit you. It’s to keep you from going, “Squirrel!” Because, if there are goals you want to reach, achievements to wish to attain, staying focused might be helpful, yes? Think of it like a little written compass to keep you in the direction you are meaning to go rather than a cage. After all, it’s helping you get where you really want to be.
In another life, I worked as a consultant for nonprofits, and part of the fun of that was helping them create their mission statements. And part of the unfun was trying to keep them focused on that mission when we would go into strategic planning. Typically, they would want to start a new project or fund something outside of their scope, and then one of us would have to kibosh that because, as good-hearted as it was, it wasn’t part of their mission. In order to remain a stable and successful nonprofit, and to honor both their donors and their beneficiaries, they had to stay on mission. Now, that’s not to say new mission statements weren’t drafted for longtime, well-managed orgs that were evolving. But you don’t create a new statement to just fit a new desire, especially if the first mission has yet to be met. Capisce?
Writing a mission statement can be fun. Really. It’s simply addressing who you are, what you do/your purpose, what your values/intentions are, and how you plan to achieve your goals. If you need a few examples:
“Build the best product, cause no unnecessary harm, use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis.” — Patagonia
“To connect the world’s professionals to make them more productive and successful.” — LinkedIn
“The American Lung Association's mission is to save lives by improving lung health and preventing lung disease. We do this through education, advocacy, and research.” — The ALA (this is a near-perfect mission statement, BTW)
Not everyone lives up to their mission statement, or they leave out very telling things. Like this one:
“To be Earth’s most customer-centric company, where customers can find and discover anything they might want to buy online, and endeavors to offer its customers the lowest possible prices.” — Amazon
No, I’m not a fan of Amazon or the dork who created it. But that mission statement tells you everything they are…and everything they are not.
A mission statement is different from a vision statement1. And you’ll need to have your mission set before you go off on your vision quest. So, let’s get started. I’ll go first:
The mission of A Sassy Little Substack is to instigate a happy revolution by helping others find their versions of happiness — right now, as is — without having to change who they are, and without a shred of toxic positivity. This is achieved by sharing insights in public posts, individual coaching, group seminars/workshops, and supporting and imbuing the authentic happiness of others and myself.
On a more personal front:
The mission of me, Sandra Ann Miller, is to sustain my authentic happiness by being the very true me, fostering an environment of honesty, openness, love and learning, and nurturing a community of like-minded people who want to be happy and whole, and make a positive imprint on the world.
Yes, mission statements get to be a little dreamy, but they also have to be on-point. No squirrels! So, what kind of a mission are you on? Name the one or two big things you are working on/want to achieve. Is it fixing your finances? Finding your one? Changing careers? Being comfortable being you? Learning to be happier? World domination? Claim it! Write it down and stare at it for a bit. You’ve declared what you want to do, now describe your plan to get it done while honoring your values/yourself.
Once you have your mission statement drafted (one to three sentences max; it’s a mission statement, not a manifesto2), keep it close by. You’ll want to reference it on the reg. Especially if you see something shiny.
The decisions we make (yep, each one of them) will either take us closer to achieving our mission or further from it. And that’s the thing: We typically let ourselves get deterred (or detoured) on our way, and then sincerely wonder how that happened.
Now, if you’re a go-with-the-flow/easy-does-it/I’ll-get-there-when-I-get-there kind of character, a mission statement may not be your jam. Mad respect. I envy your chill. If you’re looking to get sh!t done, maybe play with it.
And, yes, there is a reason I didn’t write a New Year’s diatribe on this. We are in the eighth week of the year. How many resolutions stuck around? Exactly. I’m sneaky like that. (I also don’t believe in resolutions.) See if putting your mission into words doesn’t help you stay on track and get closer to that goal. Especially if that will make you happy.
Next week, we’ll Get S.M.A.R.T. Stay tuned. xo
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I have chosen to stay here to stand ground, hold the founders accountable and continue to voice the need for change. We keep leaving places we enjoy, make new places and the same garbage follows. I’d like to help take out the trash. xo
Earworm of the Week
While a mission statement is about who you are and your current imperative, a vision statement is inspirational and aspirational, speaking about where you intend to go as you grow, once your mission is accomplished. 😉
But it is your chance to show off your run-on sentence and semi-colon skills! xo
This is a great reminder for me to redo my personal mission statement. I also need to create one for Hello, Adversity. I really like how you outlined the process!
I am the person going "Squirrel!" 😂 I hope that it's a charming attribute...but still, in those overly enthusiastic/unfocused moments, a mission statement can serve as the perfect, gentle reminder of our organizing principles.