Stop Writing Mission Statements

A mission statement is the “what” of your business, what you do and how you do it. That’s great, and it helps you talk about what you do for a living, but why do you do it?

Many of us have written mission statements for one reason or another. It’s the description that says, “We do this by doing this.” We make it really clear, practice saying it in a mirror, or record ourselves so we can hear how awkward we sound, and fix it.

True, this helps us stay focused on what we do, and don’t do, for our customers. But something comes along once in a while that takes away our motivation. We have too many roadblocks or problems to solve. We get frustrated. We sometimes feel like quitting and running away. We need something that keeps us going. And that, is your Why.

Get to the core of why you wanted to start your business. For me, it was more time with my family, freedom to make my own schedule, control over when I get paid and when I work. For you, the reason why you want to start a business might be similar, but everyone has their own reasons deep down.

Do not underestimate the power of developing your Why early on, and how it can motivate you, get you back in the game and keep you going strong.

Sometimes we can get really busy, get tired, or forget why our work matters to us, and to others.

When times get tough while running your business (and they will), your reasons why will keep you working toward what you want. Believe me, it will be worth your time to work on this and write it down somewhere you can read it when you feel like quitting.

Don’t quit. Keep writing, but know why you’re writing it.