Create Your Legacy Mission Statement

Every life makes a statement. And every life has a mission. For some it’s simply to survive, and for others it’s to thrive. But regardless of where we all fall on the spectrum, our life speaks volumes of how we have lived from here to there.

It’s been almost 20 years since I wrote my legacy mission statement. I was struggling to overcome a past that was threatening to swallow me whole and steal any hope of a healthy future. I knew I wanted a different life for my children than I had but I didn’t know how to get there. I knew I didn’t want to be a mother who repeated the pain I bore as a child, but I couldn’t fully grasp what that place looked like and what the journey would entail. I knew in 20 years I didn’t want the be the same person I was then.

The one thing that was clear was that I had to deal with HERE before I could get THERE.

Dealing with here meant being willing to sort out all the little pieces of my life in a fresh new way. What led me here, what was keeping me here and what was hindering me from moving on? Why was I here and what was both good and not so good about here. It meant digging a little deeper to ask questions and understand the longterm cost of staying here. In painting an authentic picture of our future legacy, we must begin by assessing our present now. Share on X

Sometimes a legacy begins with becoming both aware and uncomfortable with our current situation.

Sometimes a legacy is born from the desire to not repeat the past.

Sometimes the best legacy is birthed by chiseling through our present in order to paint a picture of our future.

In the face of uncomfortable and a soul-deep desire to not repeat my past, I began the chiseling. And this process led me early on as a young mother to create my legacy mission statement.

So what does this process look like, and how do we even begin?

We begin by agreeing to throw comparisons out the door. We begin by truly examining key areas of our life and determining our purpose, balanced along with our strengths, successes and sweet-spots within each of these areas. We begin by acknowledging our weakness and hurdles while also keeping them in proper perspective as opportunities for growth, change and maturity.

Identifying things we don't want to dictate our legacy helps us pinpoint our desired purpose. Share on X

It’s the same process we often use when planning a vacation. We look at what our current situation is to determine the kind of vacation we need and want. Brainstorming here to there becomes much easier if we release ourselves from criticism while looking at our current situation. Simply asking what, and why without judgement opens up possibilities of moving forward.

Then, allowing ourselves the freedom to dream and expand from here moves us into a more defined purpose within each of our key life areas, such as vocation, parenting, marriage and spiritual life. Your key areas should be what are most important to you.

What do you want in these areas? This is your purpose.

Where do you want there to look like in these areas? This is your purpose statement.

What do you want the big picture combining all of these areas to look like? This is your legacy mission statement.

Once we dive into these questions and really identify our key areas and purpose within each we can sharpen our list, cut the non-essentials and rearrange the components to create a focused and hope-filled legacy mission statement. It takes a bit of work and a little time, but it’s empowering to know where we are and where we want to go.

Only then can we begin the work of figuring out how to get there.

You’ll be fascinated as you return to your legacy mission statement periodically and how many of the little pieces fall into place through the years. I hope you will be in awe of the grace which has carried you through the bumpy road of here to there. And although like me, you may find you have not fulfilled every part of your legacy exactly how you planned, I hope you will experience a life lived well because you took the time and effort to create and build a strong and purposeful future.

One that will speak volumes of how you live your life. One that makes a powerful statement of growth and change and maturity.

And one that leaves others inspired and ignited to do the same.

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In case you missed the previous Legacy Series Posts:

Before you leave….

Each week, it’s my pleasure to select one writer from the link-up to showcase on my blog for the entire week. As you know, I’m all about fresh goodness! And with so many amazing bloggers joining this community, I want to make sure Fresh Market Friday honors all who share the many areas they practice living out of a place of intention and passion.

So let me thank all of you for making this such a sweet place to gather every week as you share your passion for life and all the ways you practice living with intention!

I’m excited to announce this week’s Featured Fresh Find is Heather Bixler!

Heather writes this week on 5 Simple and Effective way to Improve Your Daily Motivation, and she challenges us to be more intentional in the areas of stress, self-care and in the decisions we make on a daily basis that affect our motivation for not only today but also tomorrow. She also shows us that it’s not all about the goal, but it’s about making a difference in our life and in the life of those around us.

Won’t you please visit Heather’s and share some Fresh Market Friday encouragement…because we all need a little encouragement!

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