Mission is about a very big question: what are you here on earth to do?
This is a difficult question, which all of us ponder at some point in our lives, and it’s one of the most difficult to answer.
Recently the former Michigan football star running back Vincent Smith presented to my undergraduate class at the UM Ross School of Business about a nonprofit organization he has started called Team Gardens. The students excitedly connected to the mission of Team Gardens: to increase access to healthy foods, reduce juvenile crime and reduce violent behaviors through a gardening based intervention. Already, Vincent and his group of volunteers, which include many pro football players, have started gardens in Flint, Ypsilanti, and Vincent’s home town of Pahokee, FL. See photos of November 8 MLive article here.
What Vincent is doing is an example of young people putting mission in the forefront of their lives. In my class, as part of the students’ final project, they are being asked to draft personal mission statements for themselves. To derive their mission statement, they are encouraged to consider the following questions:
- Why am I here on earth?
- What higher purpose has driven me since I was a young adult?
- What actions have I taken to further my mission, and what actions do I plan to do in the future?
Here are some examples from their mission statements:
- Be the first in my family to graduate from college
- Provide for others
- Define an unmet need in society and affect it
- Teach financial literacy to kids in Detroit
- Increase opportunity and education for others
- Empower people from underprivileged groups
- Create a better life for my future family
- Be a role model to my family and under represented communities
- Give someone an opportunity
- Increase the number of under represented minorities in sciences
- Support the emotional needs of underprivileged youth
- Live a fulfilling life
- Connect underprivileged youth to sports
The students were so inspired by Vincent’s mission that several offered to join his team. Today, my call to action from each of you is to think about your own mission statement. What are you inspired to do with your life, and what actions will you be taking toward your goal?
Enjoy your day, do your best work, and keep in touch,
Dr. Rob