Be A Good Ancestor

I love this phrase. When we say “I want to be a good ancestor” we are saying we want to leave the world a better place than how we came into it. We want to be remembered as someone who “Did Good” for the world and our community.

How do we determine how to contribute to this world and for what we want to be known when there so many options? With such a huge amount of opportunities for “Doing Good”, we can find ourselves in “analysis paralysis” trying to determine where our skills would be best used and what we would find most fulfilling. One way to narrow it down and begin “doing” is to create a personal mission statement. Consider it something that defines who you want to be and how you want to do it. If we put it together thoughtfully, our mission statement will not only help us stay focused on how we choose to impact the world, but will also attract others who share our values. It will set boundaries so that if something comes up that is outside those boundaries, we have permission to say “no” as they are distractions from our purpose. In that way, our mission statement serves as our tool for making tough decisions. It frees us up to focus on what is most important. Just because something is a nice idea, doesn’t mean we need to bring it into our lives. Have I sold you on completing your mission statement yet? Great. Now, how do you put one together?

New York Times bestselling author Andy Andrews provides a free downloadable workbook that will provide you with everything you need to create your personal mission statement. He also offers guidance for family mission statements to create a guidepost so families can face decisions with similar clarity, ensuring that choices made will always be the best for you and your family. You can find his guidebook here. Essentially, it comes down to answering, in great detail, these five questions:

• What am I all about? What am I known for? What do I want to be known for? What do I value above all else?
• Who inspires me the most and why? Refer to people in everyday life, those you are familiar with through media, or people you admire from history.
• What does “the best” look like for me? “The best” is a life where you are creating as much value for any many people as possible.
• How do I want to act? How do I want to feel daily? How do I want people to describe me? How do I want people to feel around me?

• What will be my legacy? In 100 years, what does your impact look like? How is your Butterfly Effect still touching lives?

Once you’ve answered those five big questions, answer one last question keeping it short and focused on your strongest desire: How and to whom do I want to be of service?

Now, it’s time to put it all together into one sentence. Andrews offers this template: “My mission is to (fill in the blank) in order to serve (fill in the blank) in such a way that (ending).”

There are lots of examples on his website, but I will offer mine up as an additional exemplar, which came about after much thought and introspection:

I will end with this quote from Andy Andrews that sums up life’s purpose:

“Adding value to the lives of others in order to positively impact the world is a commitment you can make. Whatever you do, always find a way to serve others, no matter what. It’s your God-given right and your responsibility to contribute. It’s an honor.”

-The Strong Stumbler