A few days ago I ran across an article that talked about the significance of creating a Family Creed. A creed is basically a “system or statement of principles and beliefs.” It could also be considered sort of like a mission statement or series of statements that serve as a guide for how you want your family to live.
Author Steven Covey said…
Family Creed’s are important because they help your family to create a vision. Without a vision or a destination in mind of the future, you run the risk of letting life just happen, of getting swept along with the flow of society’s values and trends without having any real sense of intentionality or purpose.
Family creeds help you as a family to decide what kind of family you really want to be and identify the principles that will help you get there.
I like that. I want my family to be intentional. I want my kids to grow up and understand the values that I believe are necessary to succeed. And by “succeed,” I don’t just mean that in the sense of achievement… I mean it in the sense of fulfillment, happiness and joy.
As I sat down to write some initial thoughts for our “Decker Family Creed” it really made me think about the things that matter most (a good exercise in and of itself). I decided to use simple phrases, action statements and guiding principles that would hopefully “stick,” be easy to reflect upon daily, and recall throughout our lives.
Below is a sample of what was created. Our family will now come together and discuss this Creed, what we want to add or takeaway, the kids will be encouraged to think and add ideas, and we’ll create a final version that we print and post in various places around our house to serve as a visual reminder each day. We might stick copies next to the mirror in the bathroom or maybe inside the back of a cabinet door or maybe we’ll even get the creed designed and turned into a poster or a piece of art to hang on the wall. The point is that we’ll be intentional about who we want to be and we’ll make it visible so that we reinforce it every day.
This exercise isn’t just significant for families. It’s also for organization and teams. If you outline the path that you want people to go then they will have a much easier ability to get to the destination. A Business Creed or an Organizational Creed or a Team Creed can be just as intentional and just as purposeful as a Family Creed. It’s all about being intentional.
This is an exercise that anyone can do. It doesn’t take money, it doesn’t even take a ton of time. It just takes a desire to create a future and the actions to help make it so.
What about you? Do you have a creed or mission statement for your family or organization? If so, are you reinforcing it daily?
The Decker Family Creed
Love God.
Love others.
Make wise choices.
Do what is right, even when no one else is looking.
Be a person of character.
Tell the truth.
Seek God’s will, not your own.
Don’t try to fit in. Stand out by standing up (for what is right).
Don’t Never give up.
Set the example.
Be intentional.
Treat others the way you want to be treated.
Be the light, show the light, magnify His light!
Seek God.
Trust God.
Obey God.
Don’t focus on things that don’t really matter.
Don’t focus on things, focus on people.
Stay Positive.
Don’t complain.
Be grateful for EVERYTHING that you have.
Look for solutions.
Give God the glory in all that you do.
Treat others like they matter (because they do).
Don’t ever believe anyone who tells you that you are not good enough.
Tell others that they ARE good enough.
Dream big.
Don’t settle.
Do the hard work.
Be people who make the world a better place.
Know that you are loved and that you matter.
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Fri, Jan 13, 2012
Influence, Perspective