The ITA Podcast

Inspiration for Motherhood
Apr 06
0

Why You Should Stop Doing Things You Don’t Like To Do

By | Create A Mission Statement | 40 Comments


Photo Credit

I stink at crafty things.

One day, my (then) 5 year old saw a drawing on our chalkboard and in her usual, knowing, motherly tone, she said, “Oh mama! Look at that cute drawing Bubba (her two year old brother) made!”

Hesitantly, I offered, “Um, Bubba didn’t draw that…I did…”

Earlier that day, I’d conceded to his incessant requests that I draw Lightning McQueen.

Acknowledging the blow to my creative ego, she replied, “Oh…welll ….it’s …..good….mama….”

Yet true to the brutal honesty that inhabits all 5 year olds she added, “…..but what *IS* it?”

Like I said I stink at crafty things.

Know Your Strengths

I have come to learn what I’m good at and what I’m not good at. And I have decided that instead of wearing myself out trying to be good at everything, I will choose to focus on my strengths and do my best to be excellent at a few things.

What I Do With My Kids
So I write with my kids. I run with them. I teach them to play tennis and songs on the guitar. We geocache and hike and go on spontaneous day trips.

All the things I naturally like to do, I teach them and do with them.

What I Don’t Do With My Kids
I only occasionally cook or craft WITH them (I’m good at neither and tend to micromanage). Instead, I give them supplies, direction when asked and watch while they create on their own.

When I was a new mom, I forced myself to cook and do crafts with them because I thought that’s what “good moms” do, but it rarely went well. My task oriented-ness was a liability.

So, now I teach them the basics and then guide them to books and lessons so that others who excel in those areas can teach them what I cannot.

What Are You Good At?

It is vital that we as moms know what we are good at and enjoy. Don’t feel pressured to be good at something just because other moms are or because someone says you “should.”

Pursue excellence in the things God has gifted you in or called you to.

2 Minute Challenge

I have a challenge for you. I don’t want this to be one of those blog posts you read and then forget about. This is a really important concept to help free us from comparison and the misconception that we need to be SuperMom.

I challenge you to take 2 minutes right now and consider these two questions. Share your 3 likes and dislikes in the comments and any ideas you have on how to incorporate your kids or outsource your dislikes.

Answer These Questions
1. What are 3 things you LOVE to do?
Brainstorm ways you can incorporate them into those activities.

2. What are 3 things you do NOT enjoy?
Outsource it. Delegate it. Minimize it. Or just stop it.

Note: Because this concept could easily be taken the wrong way, I’ve posted in the comments a few clarifications, qualifications and explanations why this is not your “get our of jail free card” to never mop your house.

Jul 27
0

Why Every Mom Needs A Bouncer (Or How To Know When To Say No)

By | Create A Mission Statement | 20 Comments

I’m not talking about the plastic, jumpy houses kind of bouncer. I’m talking about the big, burly, baldheaded, muscleman kind of bouncer. The type that elite celebrity night clubs hire to make sure only the best of the best make it inside.

They don’t want just anyone in their club, because they know that every person they let in that doesn’t match their ideal patron, lowers the quality and reputation of the club.

Kat, I’m a mom. You lost me when you started talking about clubbing.

Alright, let me bring it back home.

As a mom, your time is limited. You’re busy and you have a lot of responsibilities. But if you’re like most other woman, you love to help, serve, create and lead. And you have a hard time saying no.

Enter your bouncer.

You lost me again, Kat.

Ok. Your bouncer is your Mission Statement. It’s your big burly, baldheaded security guard. When new responsibilities try to enter your life, they MUST make it past the him. Does this new responsibility line up with my Mission Statement? If so, does it also line up with my current yearly goals? If it doesn’t match up with both, it needs to be tossed.

You can simply say, “That sounds like a great opportunity. Thank you for thinking of me, but it doesn’t quite line up with what I’m working on this year.”

If it does match up, talk and pray about it with your spouse before making a final decision.

3 Tips for Evaluating New Opportunities

The summer is nearly over and the school year, with all it’s busy-ness, is fast approaching. Use these three tips to keep you from getting in over your head.

1. New offers, responsibilities, roles must match up with your Mission Statement.
2.Never say yes on the spot. Give it at least a day.
3. When a new role comes in:
– Either an old one needs to go out or
– Sufficient habits need to have been created to make room/time for the new role.

Why We Need To Get In The Habit of Saying No

A mother’s time is precious. Every new responsibility we take on dilutes our effectiveness in our other roles. We must guard our energy, time and family wisely.

Do you have an easy or hard time saying no? Any tips for others?

(To learn how to download our new, free ebook that will walk you through making your own mission statement, click here.)

This post is part of Works For Me Wednesday.

Mar 02
1

Purposeful Motherhood: How To Use Your Mission Statement

By | Create A Mission Statement, Featured Posts | 13 Comments

Motherhood Mission Statement - image of sticky note
A mission statement is worthless.

A mission statement is worthless unless it is seen and used….often. So how do you “use” a mission statement?

1. Post Your Mission Statement Where You’ll See It Often

Make sure you post it in one or multiple places where you’ll see it throughout the day and week. I have mine posted at the top of my weekly planning sheet that I keep in the front of my notebook.Some places you could post it are:

  • On your refrigerator
  • On your bathroom mirror
  • Keep it in the front of your Bible
  • Write it in your prayer journal
  • Make it the screen saver on your computer
  • Frame it and put it on your wall

2. Measure Things Against Your Mission Statement Regularly

Your mission statement needs to be a part of your regular decision making. When you are planning for the week, month or year measure your plans against your mission statement. Do they line up? Do the things you plan to do help you reach your goals?

When new opportunities arise, measure them against your mission statement. Don’t say yes unless they are a match.

3. Review and Revise Your Mission Statement

Your mission statement shouldn’t be set in stone. As you grow and change, it should change with you. The changes will be small and subtle but hopefully each incarnation of your statement will only inspire you more.

4. Make More Mission Statements

You don’t need to limit yourself to just a life mission statement. You can create mission statements for every aspect of your life or your family. You could even help your kids create their own.

For example, OrgJunkie has a Housekeeping mission statement. When she shared it in the comments here I was so completely inspired by it.

To provide an inviting and peaceful household environment, for my family and all that enter, that is conducive to living simply, loving deeply and laughing abundantly. I will make strides everyday to achieve this by practicing and teaching good daily habits and routines along with effective organizational skills. I will graciously and cheerfully serve my family and genuinely enjoy my commitment to creating a home sanctuary that is above all else pleasing to God.

You could create a mission statement for how you want to approach health and nutrition in your family. You could have one for your blogging goals, or your ministry roles at church.

Just remember that your Life mission statement is the one that should dominate your decision making and goal setting. The other statements can be used to inspire and give direction, but don’t let them ever take precedence over your primary one.

Conclusion

When it comes to our Mission Statement, we need to either use it or lose it. There’s no point in creating one if we’re not letting it affect our goals and decisions. So put it in a prominent place. Constantly review it to make sure it’s relevant. And expand it to give you direction in every aspect of your life.

How do you use your Mission Statement?

2GNG4RUPH78A

Feb 24
0

Purposeful Motherhood: How To Create A Mission Statement

By | Create A Mission Statement, Featured Posts | 58 Comments

Today we’re going to create a mission statement. Yay!

I highly encourage you to set aside some time to work on this from beginning to end. It will require some focus, thought and prayer. But don’t worry about making it perfect, just get a good rough draft. You can tweak it and refine it in the coming weeks.

List Your Roles

The first step in creating a mission statement is to identify your roles in life. Some of them might be things you do. Some of them might be things you are. As you write things down, don’t worry about your order, just write.

Examples:

Wife
Runner
Writer
Christian
Business owner
Employee
Mother
Sunday School Teacher
Small group leader

Prioritize Your Roles

Now order your roles according to what is important to you. Don’t order them according to the places of your greatest responsibility or reward, but rather based on what is most vital and important to you.

For example:
When I was making my mission statement my list looked something like this.

Believer
Wife
Mother
Writer
Small group leader
Runner
Web designer

Simplify Your Roles

Which of your roles are absolute? Which ones MUST you do?

This is where it gets hard. We don’t want to exclude anything, but we must. Our mission statement should not include everything we want to do. It’s kind of like a map. If we stop in every single town along the way, we’ll never reach our destination.

Your mission statement needs to be focused, so that when you’re feeling scattered, you can rely on it to get you back on track.

Example:
When I made my mission statement, I focused on my top four roles. Not that the others weren’t important to me, but the top four are my core.

Believer
Wife
Mother
Writer

Dream

Now select your first priority. Write it down. Take a few minutes to decide what your ultimate dream goal for that role would be. When runners run a race, they don’t just run. They always know where the finish line is and they run to it. If someone were to talk about you in this role, what would you love for them to say?

It doesn’t need to be perfectly worded. Just jot things down.

Now continue this process for each role.

Example:
Now this may be kind of morbid, but when I worked on my mission statement, I thought about what I would want people to say about me when I die.

I’d want God to say,”Well done, good and faithful servant.” I’d want Jimmy to say I was a good and loving wife. I’d want my kids to say that I loved them well and helped them live lives in passionate pursuit of God. And I’d want others to say that I inspired them to love Jesus more.

Create Action Statements

Now it’s time to work your list for each role into actionable phrases. Your mission statement should be active. It should tell you what you should be doing.

Example:
Here’s what I came up with for my mission statement:

To pursue Jesus with my whole heart and surrender all that I am and all that I have so that I can be fully used by Him.
To make Jimmy feel loved, cared for and admired.
To have fun with my children and help them grow up to be people who know, deeply love and wholeheartedly serve God.
To live my life in such a way that others are inspired to fully pursue Jesus and desire constant growth in their personal lives.

Conclusion

More than anything, spend time praying as you develop your mission statement. Ask God to make sure His desires and your desires are aligned. Ask for wisdom and words that will inspire you when times get tough. He has big plans for you, make time to find out what they are.

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. – Jeremiah 29:11

Care To Share?

I realize that your mission statement is very personal, but I’m sure it would inspire others to read what you’ve created. If you’d like to, please share your mission statement here in the comments.

And of course, if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask.

Feb 21
0

Purposeful Motherhood: Why Moms Need Mission Statements

By | Create A Mission Statement, Featured Posts | 21 Comments

Mission statements are for Fortune 500 companies. They’re for women who close deals, carry briefcases and wear their hair in something other than a ponytail.

I’m a mom. I change diapers, watch Sesame Street and listen to the “Choo choo Song” seven thousand times a day. Why do I need a Mission Statement? Isn’t that a bit over the top? What kind of mom does something like that?

A purposeful one.

I love this quote from G.K. Chesterton:

How can it be a large career to tell other people about the Rule of Three, and a small career to tell one’s own children about the universe? How can it be broad to be the same thing to everyone and narrow to be everything to someone? No, a woman’s function is laborious, but because it is gigantic, not because it is minute.

Leading a company or a country is no greater or more important than leading a child. Motherhood should be approached with just as much vision, passion and purpose.

Passion is something mothers have in abundance, but we are rarely taught to have vision and purpose. Today is a great day for that to change. Are you ready?

Why Moms Should Have A Mission Statement

1. Make Better Decisions.
A Mission Statement gives you a guideline to help you make wise decisions that benefit you and your family. It helps you to differentiate between the seemingly urgent and the truly important. When you need to simplify your life, you know what needs to go and what needs to stay.

2. Get A Bird’s Eye View.
Developing a mission statement is an opportunity to think big about your life. We get caught up in the day to day and lose sight of why we do what we do.

3. An Unwavering Reminder.
Mission Statements don’t have a monthly cycle. They don’t get discouraged. They don’t get overwhelmed. Having a Mission Statement is like having the best version of yourself beside you on your worst days, encouraging you to press on and pointing to the goal.

Homework

You read that right. Homework. Remember, the name of this blog is Inspired to Action. My job is to do the first part. Your job is to do the second part. We’re a team. Go team!

1. Print out the Mission Statement worksheet. Download it here. There is an example of how I have used it and a blank one for you. Put it someplace that you’ll see it often. We’ll discuss it and fill it out this week.

2. Pray. Spend 5 minutes today praying that God would give you vision for current roles in life and inspiring words for your mission statement.

(FYI – Sorry I didn’t post much last week. I’d felt better and then much worse. Thanks for your prayers, I think I’m definitely on the mend now.)