My mission: Add value.
/When I launched my blog a few weeks ago, the feedback I received was beyond anything I ever could have imagined! I expected some people to read it, but I didn’t expect THAT MANY people. I also didn’t expect all the comments, DMs, text messages and requests to subscribe to be notified when I write a new post. So many people told me how well written the post was, how they appreciated the transparency and how they were inspired, motivated and even challenged. It made me feel so warm and fulfilled. It made me feel like I was walking in my purpose, finally doing what God called me to do. But that feeling was both a gift and a curse. As much as it made me want to continue writing, it also made me put pressure on myself to make the next post just as “successful”.
The first post came straight from my heart. It was my personal journey over the last few years. It was genuine because the intention was to share with no expectation of anything in return. As I was searching for what to write about for my second post, I noticed that it didn’t feel as genuine. It felt like I was doing it for the wrong reasons, like I was too focused on if people would like it or not. Or how many comments or likes I would get. But that’s not at all what this blog is about. Or what I'm about.
So I took some time to pray and seek out what God wanted me to write about. In my reflection time, I realized that I lacked clarity on my purpose for this blog. I knew I wanted to share about continuous improvement, but what’s my goal here? What’s my intention? What’s my mission?
God put each and every one of us on this Earth for a purpose. Every person, every place, every thing has a purpose. Organizations and businesses communicate that in their mission statement. It’s what guides the people in that organization. Mission statements are designed to provide direction and clarity and to explain the organization’s reason for being. It identifies the core values and beliefs and creates the framework for the work that is being done. If organizations and businesses create mission statements, why don’t we as individuals? In everything we do, we should know the why. We should be clear on our purpose. It should bring focus to our life and guide every decision we make.
So I set out to determine what my mission statement should be and after thinking, reflecting, and praying, it came to me.
My mission is to add value.
Short and sweet. Just two words packed with so much meaning. And not just for my blog, but in life.
With every post, in every interaction, every conversation, even at every party, my goal is to add value in some way or form.
As I thought about how this mission statement would help guide me, I realized that there were already a few ways where it already applies to my life. You’ve probably never seen me sitting down at a party. Because 1. I’m a dancer and 2. I didn’t go to the party to just take up space. I went to have a good time. So in order to add value to that party and to my life and those who I went to the party with, I’m going to dance and have a good time. Also, I'm not really big on “small talk”. I can easily sit in a room with another person and not have a conversation. Some can’t deal with the awkward silence but I normally don’t engage in conversation unless I have something valuable to say. Another thing I try not to do is turn on the tv or radio when I’m not actively watching or listening. I’d much rather sit in silence, than have non value-added noise in the background. I’d rather spend those moments thinking, or reading, or listening to a podcast - doing something that adds value.
That’s what The Kaizen Lifestyle is all about. That’s what I emphasize when I teach the 5 key principles of Lean in my trainings at work: identify the value of the customer or patient and remove all of the non value-added activity (or waste) through small, incremental changes.
I aim to do the same in my blog and in life in general: Add value.
Depending on the situation or environment, the definition of value changes because value is always defined by the “customer”. Every business or organization has a “customer” that they provide a service or product to. In hospitals, the "customer" is the patient. At restaurants, the "customer" is the person choosing to dine there. At car dealerships, the "customer" is the person seeking to purchase a car. For this blog, my “customer” is the reader. My goal is to make sure that you, the reader, gain something valuable to apply to life from every single post. Whether it be motivation to make a change, a tool to help improve some aspect of your life, or just a sigh of relief to know that you aren’t alone in this adulting stuggle - if I’ve added value in any way, I’ve done my job.
With that being said, I won’t commit to a frequency of how often I will write posts, because if I don’t have anything valuable to say I’m just wasting your time as well as mine. But what I will commit to valuable, honest content. One of my life commandments is “Thou shall not force it” so instead of just writing to write, I’ll let my personal mission statement guide me. In everything I do, my goal is to add value and I challenge you to do the same.