Why are you here on earth? Depending on your age, you’ve probably wondered that before. And, it makes sense for each of us as individuals to reflect on our purpose or as my friend Dr. Daniel Lee says to “Do What You’re Built For”.

If you haven’t asked yourself that question then I suggest that you do spend some time thinking about it. It is important to have a sense of who you are as a person and how you will leave the earth a better place than you found it. I honestly believe that this is what we are on earth for.

I advocate that each of us adopt this purpose-focused lens to  assess your meaningful contribution to your community (both potential and accomplished).

For example, my personal mission statement is to “transform family life through healthy relationship building”. One can readily see from my mission that family is the focus,  transformation is the goal, and relationship building is the process to get you there.

When you read my blog posts at HaroldArnold.com or listen to my “Leading You Home” podcast or read my book, Marriage ROCKS for Christian Couples or hear me speak on leadership you can readily see that everything points back to my mission statement.  In a real sense my mission statement is a guidepost that keeps me  setting goals and strategies that move me in the direction that I am “built for”.

Even if you haven’t personally put your mission statement on paper, most of us see the value of having one. But, what about the importance of a mission statement for your family.

If you accept the importance of our individual mission statements then what happens when you think about your entire family—a collection of personalities, talents, and interests. A mission statement is just as important for your family as it is for you. But, few families ever go through the process of figuring it out.