What’s the Mission?
I’m going to open this blog post with a little bit of my thought process. When I’m reading or thinking, I often come across a topic or question that I want to explore. Sometimes I create a task to think about it during a clarity break, and other times I want to actually write about it in a more coherent fashion. In those instances, I create a new note in Evernote and tell myself to write a blog post about XYZ.
Three months ago, I created a note to write about this particular topic and started to think about this question, What’s the mission?
It came back into my mind at the beginning of my Strategic Coach session recently, and I decided to spend some time writing about this idea:
Have you ever asked yourself, What’s my mission? It’s a very deep question, as you search for your purpose.
Throughout my adult life, I have reflected on my mission and tried to find my purpose. Why was I put on Earth? Who I am here to help or serve?
As I look at new opportunities, projects or even commitments and obligations, I have started to ask, What is the mission and does this mission tie in to my own?
I’ve found that question is impossible to answer if I don’t know what my mission is or if my mission has changed in some way. As I sat through my Strategic Coach session, I thought about a lot of different opportunities, commitments and potential projects, and I kept coming back to, What is the mission?
This concept can apply to many different topics in life. Your mission might vary greatly based on your stage in life and roles you are currently fulfilling. Are you clear on the mission? What is keeping you from the mission?
My Mission
I haven't looked at My Why statement in quite some time, so I’m not sure how it’s evolved. But I think the concept of the mission relates to Your Why and could be an iteration of playing the game of business.
I recently was thinking about teaching my kids how to ride a bike. I have five kids and have helped all five to ride a bike. I reflected on that process and the exhilaration I felt running beside them, giving them a push and watching them ride faster than I could run. In that moment, they became self-sufficient, but they needed me running beside them, pushing them and encouraging in the beginning.
That’s kind of analogous to my last 15 years professionally. I have been involved in a number of startups for early stage concepts and ideas. Some, just like my kids, crashed and fell down. But in every case, I was there to give a push and a word of encouragement, Look ahead and keep peddling.
So in a way, maybe my mission is to help others “ride a bike.” I have been told I give activation energy to situations. So maybe my mission is to give others a push, so they can go further and eventually ride alone.
The challenge is some people, just like my kids, don’t want to ride alone. They often say, I only want to ride if you’ll go with me. That’s a very interesting thought because, in a sense, we can only ride with a few people at a time.
As I think about what matters most to me (my family, my faith, my relationships and my health), I think about my mission and ask, Does this opportunity, decision or project align with my mission?
My most important roles are:
Husband
Father
Disciple of Christ
Brother and son
Friend
Business partner and mentor
Every day as I journal in the morning, I think about these roles and how I will fulfill them, making specific plans to serve in each one of these roles. The truth is I fall short every day and find myself in the gap, expecting more out of others and more out of myself. But I’m grateful for the chance to reset and restart every morning; I’m grateful for the opportunity to try again.
I’m excited and anxious to continue to fulfill my mission. So with that… let’s go!