Do You Have a Mission Statement?

 As I was putting together my new system for a fresh start I had lots of ideas that I had pulled together from here, there, and everywhere, but it lacked direction! I knew that if I was going to make a system that would really, actually work for me, I needed to know where I was going, but all I had were vague ideas and transient, dream-like aspirations ... that is until I read this post; at one of my very favorite blogs -- Keeper of the Home. A light went on! Now, I didn't actually give myself a planning retreat. But I did carve out a few hours on a couple of different days and make myself a mission statement. I loved the idea as soon as I heard it, but honestly I had no way to go about it. Lucky for me, Kat @ Inspired to action has a free e-book : mission statements for moms that I took full advantage of.
I love this quote from the book "Having a mission statement is like having the best version of yourself beside you on your worst days, encouraging you to press on and pointing to the goal." How great is that? So when you make your mission statement, don't worry about how doable it seems, just set your loftiest goals out there! If you don't aim high, you'll never attain.  And you're not setting yourself up for failure, because it's not about getting it all done at once.  Remember, this is not your New Years resolution, this is the mission statement for your life. It's everything you ever want to be in all your roles, beneath all those hats you wear, you superwoman, you!
Kat includes several examples of mission statements that other women have written, as well as her own, to serve as inspiration to you. I don't mind telling you, that even though I had plenty I wanted to say, I was having trouble wording it just so, and I shamelessly copied a few phrases from other women.  I tweaked them a bit later, but there's nothing wrong with that, as long as the end product is your personal goals.  
My mission statement is the very first page in my Home Management Notebook, and it is the backbone of everything that will follow on my blog this year. So here it is for your perusal.

With the grace and help of God,

As a Christian, I pledge to make Jesus my first priority and be more like Him so that my life will testify of Him in all that I do; to regularly and faithfully intercede on the behalf of others; and to cultivate a heart of gratitude daily.

As a Wife, I pledge to nurture my marriage by showing Nathan my love and respect in tangible ways, and allowing myself to be vulnerable with him. I pledge to listen well, submit to his authority, and make his requests a priority; I pledge not to set him up for failure with unreasonable expectations.

As a Mother, I pledge to embrace this season of my life as a blessing while my children are still young, and I am still their whole world; to delight in my children, taking time for fun, and showing them grace and loving, consistent, merciful discipline; to raise my boys to be selfless, joyful, productive men who will cherish their wives and glorify God.

As a Teacher, I pledge to learn alongside my children; to give them a good working knowledge of themselves and the world, and how they are to relate to it; and to patiently instill in them a love of learning that will allow them to grow intellectually, and give them confidence to fulfill the call of God in their lives.

As a Keeper At Home, I pledge to create and maintain a clean, peaceful and beautiful home sanctuary to welcome family and visitors alike, and to practice generous hospitality; I pledge to save money wherever possible, while providing delicious, healthy, nourishing food for my family; and to engage in regular exercise and creative activities that help me feel motivated, invigorated and renewed.

So, that's it. Put it in a prominent place and live with it for a while. Make sure you love it.  Then we'll talk about how to use it to set your goals or New Years Resolutions based on what the most important things are in your life.

Do you already have a mission statement or something similar? How does it help you in your daily life and in your goal setting? 

Resolutions

Happy New Year! I know, I'm a little late, but it's better late than never, I always say! :D Have you made any new years resolutions? I know I have!! And some of them pertain to this blog. In case you haven't noticed, I've been away from the blog since mid-August.  There are plenty of reasons for that -- some of them having to do with my computer going completely haywire ... some not. Suffice it to say I've got ideas and I'm about to roll with 'em! I am pledging to you right now that I will post something bi-weekly, at the very least, every month this year, and Lord willing, more often than that!
So, resolutions. They're a big thing this time of year, but honestly, in a few weeks, most have already fallen off the bandwagon.  Most have to do with losing a tremendous ammount of weight or "getting healthy" with no real game plan. But as Dave Ramsey says "a goal without a plan is just a dream". I haven't made too many New Years resolutions over the course of my life. I don't really know why. But particularly in the last couple of years it seems very important to take this fresh year and make a fresh start.  It doesn't have to be a new year to make a fresh start, so if you're reading this in July, now is as good a time as any! Jump in! :) Anyway, this year is especially so, since I'm starting my year (well, february is close enough!) in a new home. At the beginning of November, my husband was transferred to Alabama, so we've been in a state of limbo for a while here. He's travelling during the week and coming home on the weekends; we're selling a house here in TN and looking for a new one over there. Nothing feels permanent and I am so ready for my fresh start! But I'll tell you one thing, I don't want to get overwhelmed with all that I have to do and give up. I also don't want to go to the other extreme and not even make a goal. So I have been doing a lot of reading and research over the last months (and really this was in the works before -- but the move, and new year amplified everything) and I've been working on a system to keep me organized and on track.  And I'm going to be sharing it with you.
You see, when I started this blog I had high aspirations of losing weight and getting fit. I had a sort-of plan, but it pertained only to that specific portion of my life and didn't take into account everything else that I already have going on. It didn't work out, because I simply couldn't figure out a way to fit it into my already hectic, crazy life. And that's where my new system comes in! Next post I'll share the first part of that with you.
What are some of your resolutions? And how do you plan to stick with them?  I'd love to be inspired by you!