Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Mission Statement

Do you have a mission statement?

Mission statements are used in businesses and organizations for a number of reasons, one of which is to remind themselves (and employees) what they are about, in case they tend to get off track. Another reason is to use it as a checklist or a guideline when a decision has to be made. If an option doesn't fit the mission, then that option is out.

Having a personal mission statement is not a new idea, but I think it's a good idea, especially for those of us who have many interests and fret over small decisions.

So I've put together my mission statement. I plan to post it where I can see it often. I hope it will help me to keep my true self in the forefront of my life, instead of being covered up by self-imposed obligations and crap that wastes my time!

Here it is:
To live a life of radical love, boundless passion, human connection, and creative expression, and to encourage and empower others to do the same.

I've been thinking lately about going back to school to get a master's degree. I just ran it by my mission statement to see if it lines up. I'm thinking now that to spend the enormous amount of money a graduate degree would cost, and to be unavailable to my family much of the time for two or three years would make no sense. It could not give me anything I need to pursue my mission.

My husband will be thrilled. I just saved us tens of thousands of dollars!

1 comment:

Matt said...

Right on! Every once in a while the prospect of going to get a doctorate comes up. And I think of all of that time studying, writing papers, all the money, the sheer effort of dealing with being a student again... and for what?

Certainly pursuing further education can be the right thing in certain situations. But any attraction that just getting that next degree may have had--has long worn off.

So you can buy coffee next time, now that you're flush with all that saved cash!