Questions are more important than answers. At least some questions are.
Maybe, then, I should put that as a question. Are questions more important than answers?
If you live with the question, "What is my mission in life?", amazing possibilities open up. There is, after all, only one of you. What impact are you going to make?
Just as we don't expect you to finalize a prioritized set of values for the rest of your life in the second week of a class, we don't expect you to carve your personal mission statement in stone, either. Articulating a mission statement is, nevertheless, deeply powerful. The list of values you developed for last week's class can be a big help as you develop a mission statement.
Here are the examples in the book I showed you on Thursday, Where Will You Be Five Years From Today?
- Walt Disney: My mission in life is to make people happy.
- Eric Schmidt, CEO, Google: My mission is to collect all the world's information and make it accessible to everyone.
- Anitra Freeman, Artist: I believe creativity is the essence of being human. I believe I make myself, and I won't buy my soul off the rack.
- Phil Knight, Founder, Nike: My ission is to bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world.
- Rebecca Jones, Rancher: My life's mission is to protect and save early American farm animals such as the American Guinea hog and the Ben Franklin turkey from extinction.
The summer concert series I organize has this mission: "Bringing the community together with friends making music for friends."
Over in Indy, we can read, "The mission of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra is to inspire, entertain, educate and challenge through innovative programs and symphonic music performed at the highest artistic level."
How to find a mission statement? Google the name of an organization and the word "mission."
If you have time to do this before class, copy and paste the mission statements into a comment. I suggest you find one of each of the following:
- an opera company
- a symphony
- a school
- a business
- a performer
If you don't have time before class (which would not be surprising), BRING YOUR LAPTOP.
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ReplyDeleteA school: The mission of Berklee College of Music is to educate, train, and develop students to excel in music as a career.
ReplyDeleteA business:P&G : We will provide branded products and services of superior quality and value that improve the lives of the world’s consumers, now and for generations to come.
An Opera Company: New York City Opera was founded with the purpose of making great opera available to a modern, wide-reaching audience.
A Symphony: The San Francisco Symphony. Mission: Enriches, serves and shapes cultural life throughout the spectrum of Bay Area communities.
A performer: Helping the needy.
My mission is to explore the emotional impact of rhythm. I want to learn about sources of rhythm and creatively combine them affectively.
ReplyDeleteNational Autism Association
The mission of the National Autism Association is to respond to the most urgent needs of the autism community, providing real help and hope so that all affected can reach their full potential.
http://nationalautismassociation.org/about-naa/mission-statement/
Starbucks
Our mission: to inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cup and one neighborhood at a time.
http://www.starbucks.com/about-us/company-information/mission-statement
Nintendo of America's Corporate Mission and Philosophy
At Nintendo we are proud to be working for the leading company in our industry. We are strongly committed to producing and marketing the best products and support services available. We believe it is essential not only to provide products of the highest quality, but to treat every customer with attention, consideration and respect. By listening closely to our customers, we constantly improve our products and services.
We feel an equal commitment toward our employees. We want to maintain an atmosphere in which talented individuals can work together as a team. Commitment and enthusiasm are crucial to the high quality of our products and support services. We believe in treating our employees with the same consideration and respect that we, as a company, show our customers.
http://www.nintendo.com/corp/mission.jsp
Ameren UE
To meet our customers' energy needs in a safe, reliable, efficient and environmentally responsible manner while enhancing shareholder value.
http://www.ameren.com/AboutAmeren/Pages/ValuesMission.aspx
International Jugglers Association
To educate and render assistance to fellow jugglers.
To provide an accessible source of information pertaining to juggling to jugglers and the public.
To record and maintain the history of juggling.
http://www.juggle.org/business/misc/mission.php
My mission statement is: Leave a legacy through my children so that everything I conquered and learned in life can live longer than myself.
ReplyDelete....It sounds better in Spanish: Dejar un legado en mis hijos para que todo lo que conquisté y aprendí en la vida pueda vivir más que yo misma :)
Other mission statements I found:
1) Austin Symphony: "Bringing Arts to the community and the community to the arts"
2) Starbucks: "to inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cup and one neighborhood at a time."
3) McDonald's: "McDonald's brand mission is to be our customers' favorite place and way to eat."
4) St. Louis Opera Theatre: "To communicate the power and beauty of live opera to
audiences of all ages and experiences by presenting worldclass
productions in a festival format. To build a vibrant future
for opera and serve our community through professional
development and community education programs. To strengthen
the cultural and economic vitality of our region."
5) Luann Udell, Artist: "Muddling through life with the help of art."