Mission Statement
Do I need to have a mission statement for this fucking thing? No, probably not. But could it help? I’m not sure….. It all sounds so official and….douchey? Why would I?
What if the podcast is successful? I don’t ever want to lose sight of what this was all supposed to be about in the first place….but I also don’t want to be stubborn and turn down possibly great opportunities because of my convictions. It should remain fluid and free and I dunno about you but at first glance mission statements don’t ever feel free. There is a sort of stiffness to the whole idea of having a mission statement. Can’t I just stay focused without one?
What if I fail? I don’t ever want to fail and look back and wonder if I compromised my values along the way. But don’t I already know what those are, and can’t I make decisions as they come without referencing a crappy written statement that hath been pulled from my ass? I definitely don’t want to ever start taking this thing too seriously and maybe this notion of a mission statement is a sign that I am doing just that. If I do have a mission statement it’s not for you. It’s for me. For me to maintain perspective. I guess if it's just for me I could keep it to myself and not write a blog post about it. But if I put it out there then maybe it would be easier to remember and to stay focused. It could hold me accountable. Even just a few years ago, when I would read a mission statement from, say, a company, I would always kind of roll my eyes and think ‘‘yeah right, your only mission is to make money. Quit it with the bullshit.’’ But recently, I have come to appreciate that these statements can be meaningful.
What got me thinking about this in the first place is that I coughed up a few bucks to start an actual company for this podcast. I’m going to need a new laptop very soon and there are production costs for a podcast among other things, I’m sure. So I figured I might as well have it set up to where it’s not a hobby but enough of a business where I can write off the expenses. Refer to the 3rd sentence of my 1st blog post: (“….I don’t know what the fuck I’m doing…”). Recently, someone I know who is a remarkable leader was commenting on what it means to have a Mission Statement. His Mission Statement includes not only the Mission, but also his Vision and his Values. Great, three fucking things to worry about now? What is the point?
This is what he said: “The Mission is now. The Vision is the future. And the Values are forever.” For some reason, like the figure of speech ‘‘a fist from your face,’’ something clicked and it stuck. Giving them the context of time somehow made it all fit.
Ok fuck it lets give it a try…
I suppose if I had to state a MISSION for this podcast I would say it would be: To make meaningful connections with interesting people and to share those interactions with as many people as possible while having fun doing it.
I suppose if I had to state my VISION for this podcast it would be: To leave each podcast feeling more positive, more wise, and closer to the truth than before I pressed record.
I suppose if I had to state my VALUES they would be: Truth. Freedom. Respect. Open mindedness. Learning. Fun. Friendship. Growth.
I don’t know. What do you think? Should I do it? Maybe I just did….