A Family Purpose Statement

Success.  At the end of our days, when we look back on our time on this Earth, how will we define success?  Will it be the relationships we have fostered?  The amount of money we have accrued in our bank accounts?   The family we created and the legacy we will leave behind?  The time we devoted to serving others?  The experiences we've had?  The places we've traveled to?  While I'm certainly no expert, I suppose it will be compilation of all of the above and more.

In a success-driven, competitive society, one must be careful not to forget what is most important: fulfilling our purpose as a family and the health and well-being of our family unit.  There certainly is no one-size-fits-all option when it comes to making decisions for yourself and your family.  Each decision should be carefully weighed and fit within your family values.

Last year I read Notes from a Blue Bike by Tsh Oxenreider.  Early in the book, she suggests creating a family purpose statement.  Since the day I read this, I have wanted to sit down with my husband and draft our family purpose statement.  For some odd reason, we have yet to do that.  Guess what? We are going to get that done this week.

You see, the point of this family purpose statement is to help guide you in your decision-making process and focus on what is important to YOUR family.  It helps us sort through the noise and distractions we encounter every day from our extended family, friends, neighbors, and society in general.  I love this quote from Tsh's husband found in the post linked above about a series she did on getting back to the basics:

“The first post should be how to manage it all by finding your family’s priorities and ignoring everything else. No one can do it all, so it’s essential to start by finding out what you should do, and which things are okay to ignore.”

Creating this statement will take some time and serious thinking.  It should be done as a couple with everyone in your family in mind.  If your kids are old enough, ask them some questions and thoughtfully consider their responses.  When you're done, type it up, print it off, and keep it where you and your spouse will see it often.  Heck, make it pretty and post it where anyone who visits your home can see it.  I believe when we can clearly see what we value and where our priorities lie, making life choices, whether big or small, will become much easier.

Perhaps at the end of our days, we will define our success by how true we stayed to our own beliefs and values.  We may simply ask ourselves if we fulfilled our purpose as an individual and as a family.  With a clear statement guiding us along the way, it may be easier to stay the course and not be coerced into walking a path not meant for us.