As creatives we are constantly faced with a barrage of ideas, custom requests, and the ever present “I can make that” or “I can do that.” My to-do list is ever increasing and most of the time I am the problem, creating more projects for myself than I will ever have time to complete or even really want to complete.
So in a world where you might be able to do lots of things, and potentially even do all of those things well, I am challenging you today to think deeply about the things you are pursuing, the jobs you are taking, the tasks you are adding to your to-do list, the ideas you are entertaining. WHY are you doing any of those things?
For me, the answer to that why meant pairing my business down to two specific areas, branding design & development and my online shop.
So the question is, out of all the things I could be pouring my time into, work I could be pursuing, and ideas I could be entertaining; why sell products and goods? The answer for me is simple. I simply go back to my mission statement:
to inspire women with Truth.
I attempt to do that very thing through a variety of avenues, one of which is my shop. The beauty in having a well developed (even if super concise) mission statement is that it helps keep you focused on the overall goal of your business. It’s a filter through which I can make decisions about the type of work I do, what products I will sell and even the designs I create.
The core mission of my shop comes out of this verse:
The heart behind my shop and all of the products is this: to fill our homes and lives with Truth, reminders of God’s Word in the every day, when we lie down and when we rise, when we come and when we go.
My challenge to you today is to ask that question, “why?” Why are you doing all that you’re doing? Spend some time crafting a mission statement that will help to focus your endeavors and provide a filter for making decisions as you face the barrage of requests and ideas and tasks. This post from Sage Wedding Pros is super helpful for creating a Mission Statement for your business!
The Ask Ashlee Series features your questions and focuses on bringing honesty, transparency and encouragement to the believer, wife, mama, and small business owner. I would love to chat about your questions so send them my way! [info@ashleeproffitt.com]
