Saturday, January 19, 2013

My Mission

"Your mission, should you choose to accept it..." Anyone who is familiar with the television show, and more recently, the movie, Mission Impossible is familiar with this line. The hero begins every episode by receiving a difficult mission, but the thing I like is that in the show/movie, as in life, the hero always has the option to decline. Throughout my life, I have had many jobs, and in pretty much all of those jobs, I have been presented, in one form or another, with a mission. In every case, it has been up to me whether I choose to accept it or not. This is what we are all faced with in every aspect of our lives. There will always be a task at hand, some ideal to live up to, and we are all faced with the decision to accept it or not. I will be the first to admit that in some jobs, I have not always accepted the mission.

I often tell my kids that being their father is the most important job I have ever or will ever have. I mean that. It doesn't mean that my other jobs weren't/aren't important. It only means this one is the most important because if I fail at this one, there is nobody else to fix it. In the military, I did a job with very little margin for error. If I messed up, people could die, including myself, but we always operated as a team, and we were trained to back each other up. If I messed up, there was almost always someone else to my right or left to correct the mistake. In teaching, I can have a tremendous impact with my students, but if I fail them, there are dozens of other teachers in the building who can teach them whatever is that I failed to teach them. With parenting, however, there is no margin for error. Sure, my kids have a mother, so I am not their only parent, but I am there only father. If I fail to give them something they need from their dad, there is no other dad to pick up the slack. Not only that, but I also have to recognize the fact that everything I do with them is likely to impact them for the rest of their lives. As human beings, we are the sum of all of our experiences, and the experiences my children have with me are shaping the people they will become. It is a tremendous responsibility, and I only hope that all parents understand this.

Every company I've ever worked for has a mission statement. The purpose of the mission statement is to articulate the goals and values of the organization. It gives everyone in the organization a compass by which to navigate the challenges they face daily. I'm taking a psychology class right now as part of my master's degree program for educational organization and leadership. Recently, we did an exercise through which we drafted our own personal mission statements. While I am in the class in pursuit of a degree which will qualify me to be a school leader, I always have a hard time separating my role as a father from my role as just about anything else, so my mission statement thinking primarily of my children and the role I play in their lives. Here is what I've come up with:

To be known by my family, friends, students, and colleagues as someone who is passionate, steadfast, disciplined in words and actions, caring and hard-working so that I can inspire them to trust and believe in me to do what is right and to inspire them to do the same. I will do these things so that people may look to me and say, "There is a good man." I will do this so my sons will have an example of what they should be, so that my daughter knows the kind of man she deserves. I will do this by consistently trying to view myself through the eyes of those around me, for their perception of my is my reality.

It was a great exercise in thinking about what values matter to me and what kind of person I hope to be. I think I will keep the handouts we used in class and use it as an introductory activity for my students this fall. For my readers, I challenge you to do the same. Create a mission. Actually take the time to write down a personal mission and then ask yourself if you choose to accept it.

28 comments:

  1. A personal mission that I will accept is to better the lives of any animal I come in contact with. I also want to leave a mark on the earth just as many great inspirational people before me have.
    -Makenzie Tegeler

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  2. Another personal mission I have is that I want to try to help out others as well. You only have one life to live and anyone you come in contact with should be treated as an opportunity. I want to treat each day as a gift.

    -makenzie t.

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  3. A personal mission that I will accept is being somebody that anyone and everyone can count on. I want to be that person that can help change somebody and be that person that can make anyone laugh or even smile during a rough time. I also want to be the change in society. I'm not going to dislike somebody simply because they're "overweight" or because they don't have to latest styles. I do not want to have a reputation for being a very judgmental, mean, negative person. I want to be the person that was known because she always had something positive and inspiring to say whenever you were down, or whenever you just needed somebody.
    Samantha Moore 7th Hour :)

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  4. A personal mission I will accept is to be the change. I want to people to understand that they can come to me at any time and they can trust me. I want to be that person that they could talk to and know they aren't being judged at all. I want to be able to guide people in the path they want to go or to try to help them. But mostly, I want to be the change!
    -Mariah 2nd and 5th

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  5. A personal mission I will accept is being a kindhearted, caring, and understanding person that anyone can come to for someone to listen to them, help them out, give them advice, or just for someone they can count on. I want people to not be hesistant to come and talk to me about anything they are having a hard time with. I don't want anyone to feel alone or feel like they don't have anyone in their life they can trust. So I hope to be there for someone when they need me the most.
    -Faith Fox 7th Hour

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  6. A personal mission I have is to rescue as many dogs as I can. Right now, my family is a foster home for dogs until they get adopted out. It really impacted me when I started fostering dogs and made me realize many more need saved.
    -Kaytlin Tague 2nd Hour

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  7. A personal mission I have is that I want to pay back all the stuff my dad has done for me. He has put so much time and money into my racing career, I feel blessed. He has done so much for me and I will do anything to pay him back and that will be my main goal and mission in my life. It's not like every kid can have a race car and a great home like me.
    -Garrett Aitken

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  8. My personal mission, and I choose to accept it, is to be a better influence on my little sister, my two little brothers, and my little step-brother. I want my older brother to know that he can look down to me anytime that he needs help.
    -Beth Jones 1st Hour

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  9. A personal mission I have is to be a good role model for younger kids. Kids these days are getting influenced by the wrong things and ideas. I want them to be able to look up to me and come to me when they are in trouble or need help.
    -Lydia Switzer 1st hour

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  10. My personal mission is to be a role model for my sister and for younger kids. There are kids now a days that think that doing drugs and drinking is all you need to be doing to have fun, and it's not. I have seen people mess up their lives by doing things such as drungs and I don't want to see children such as my sister go in that path.
    Briana Pearcy

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  11. After reading your blog I have decided to choose a personal mission of working harder at making a difference in my community. I have been inspired seeing the community come together to support our basketball team. I would like to see that kind of support for things other than sports. Our jazz band recently attended IHSA all-state. This is a huge deal for our band and community. Although there was some show of support, I would like to see more support for the arts in Paris. I know the people and the love is there, we just need to get the word out to those with the passion. I know electronic media is a great way to spread the word to others about upcoming events as well as word of mouth. I hope to show everyone the other wonderful things going on in this community.
    Dillan Dorjahn
    1st hour

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  12. I always think of my personal mission as being the best me, that I can be. I really try and succeed in everything that I do to the best of my ability. I believe that success doesn't truly define you but it really does motivate you. My personal mission in life is to be successful, and to be the best person I can be because I want others to look up to me.
    Maddie Johnson 2nd hour

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  13. I really like that quote at the end there. I think that's a really good way to shape your life. I guess since most people on this blog have put a personal mission statement I will too. My personal mission statement is to become a hard working, smart, funny, and happy man that others like to be around and can look up to. I also want to continually push myself and become better at everything I do. I know that I can never reach perfection, and if I ever did then I wouldn't be trying hard enough.
    Murray - 3rd Hour

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  14. My goal is to never let the way I view my success or myself, be influenced by any materialistic items I do or do not have. I want know that I have truly succeeded by achieving all my goals I have. Also i want my life to consist of nothing but satisfaction and happiness. Lane Tessman 2nd Hour

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  15. My goal is to never let anything to hold me down. I look to persevere and continue on with being more positive and more outwardly warm towards others.Yeah..I really need to work on that, but it is my goal and,therefore, I look to achieve it.

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  16. A personal goal that I have is to be the daughter my dad always wanted me to be. I didn't always live up to expectations, and I know that it's not realistic to live up to every single expectation, but I want to at least commit myself to be the person he tried raising me to be. I know that's what he would want.
    Lindsey Pitts, 6th hour

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  17. I know we all need a mission, although I don't have an exact mission statement, I do know the key theme to my statement "involved". I will be accountable for involvement in my families lives, my church life and my communities life!! Involvement and accountability will be the keys to my success. I never realized the importance of involvement until I helped my mom with community service projects such as United Way fund raisers. I never know the impact of services that were provided by organizations like United Way, until I got involved!

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  18. I know it may be a little a bit off track of this whole mission thing. But im glad you have chose to stand by your children through it all and be the one they look up to. No matter what happens a father is a childs most important figure in there life. I would of loved to have experience the memories that most kids get with there fathers but my dad chose the path of leaving us and my mom at a young age. Its always a hard struggle for me to go through some days knowing that someone else is experiencing the memories of my dad that i never got. Your a great teacher and great dad im sure of it. I hope through your journeys as a father you make those everlasting memories with your sons and daughter they will never forget.
    Josh Seibert 6th hour

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  19. My mission is that I want to be the best person I can be. I think I come off rude to some people and they judge me for it. I wish they would not because I am a nice guy. I will still work on it though.
    Colton Dosch

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  20. To be known by my friends and family as someone who is trustworthy, loyal, hard working, funny, and friendly. I will do this by being myself because I am already some of these qualities.

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  21. My mission is to make my life the best it can be. That involves being the best person I can be, as well as making sure I do what I can to make sure others around me are also happy.
    Jackson Feltt-6th hour

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  22. My mission would have to be pushing myself to the fullest. I always see myself looking for the easy way out and that isn't always going to be available further in my life. I need to focus and achieve this goal.

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  23. My mission would have to be pushing myself to the fullest. I always see myself looking for the easy way out and that isn't always going to be available further in my life. I need to focus and achieve this goal.

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  24. My missIon is to always see the positive in someone , never give up on reaching my dream and always be there for my No matter what.

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  25. I have a mission to show people the real me, and to not let anyone hold me down from being what my full potential shows me to be. I grew up without a dad, so i guess you could say he fail his missions. But knowing that i am the strong person i am, he wont stop me from completing my mission.

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  26. My mission is to probably first go watch mission impossible then, I want to better my life and work harder to be a better human being and a student because my farther goal is to go to college for photography and live my life taking pictures of beautiful things for other people to see that cant get there themselves.

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  27. Thinking about life in this way is a great way to get a different perspective on how you act and hold yourself. Responsibility is a major trait that not all people possess, but I hope most of them use what little responsibility that they do have in the right places. Over the years I have been collecting many missions. Some missions I'll complete, some I won't, and most are up to my decisions I make every day. Presenting myself as a responsible adult and making good choices are how I want to think that I am as a person, but anyone who has ever made a controversial choice has made the right choice in one's eyes, but a wrong one in another's. The real test of responsibility and what shapes personality is which right choices they think they are making.

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  28. My mission is to be known by my friends, family, and teachers as someone who is hardworking. I want to be known as someone is never gives up and goes after what I believe in, no matter the obstacles in my way.
    ~Emily Bracken- 7th

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