It has been a couple of years since we've talked about creating a mission statement for our homes. Now that I think about it, all our work on setting up housekeeping schedules and getting organized is a little bit like putting the cart before the horse. You've got to know what it is you're aiming at before you start firing.
Wow, two metaphors in two sentences to illustrate the importance of having a goal.
In my original post, used this picture:
"If you aim at nothing, you'll hit it every time."
Almost every organization has a mission statement, and homes, the world's most important organizations, should be no different. A mission statement sets out the core values that determine the "how" and "why" things are done. As CEO's of our homes (yes, that's YOU!), we have the opportunity to set the tone, the goals and the vision for how we want to live and operate our little "companies."
Here is mine. I've changed it up to reflect the change in the season of my life, but you could modify it to fit yours if you like:
My home is a sanctuary for all who enter. It is clean and orderly enough to offer hospitality, and comfortable enough to feel homey. I choose to honor my husband's need for order and grace, and my family's need for unhurried time. I make progress each day, and choose joy and contentment no matter what.
I've chosen to put everything into the present tense, because it feels very tangible that way.
Today's Small Thing is to create your own homekeeping mission statement.
Keep it simple and don't overthink it. You can always modify it later. I found that simply taking 10 minutes to do this today made me focus on what is really important when I think about what I want my home to feel like inside. Home is about people....and your mission statement should reflect that in some way.
Feel free to borrow all (or part) of mine. I'm going to take some more time to hone mine a bit more. In the meantime, I hope you'll share yours in the comments today! We can inspire one another with our goals.
PS I love OrgJunkie's Mission Statement, at the bottom of her About Page.
POINTS: 50 for writing out a simple homekeeping mission statement
BONUS: I'll draw one name from the commenters to have their mission statement made into a canvas print! Your words - on one of my hand-painted backgrounds....woo-hoo!
