Mind Viruses (aka Memes) & Mission Statements

Memes are a form of Mind Viruses that infiltrate, replicate and saturate the minds of a large portion of the world's population and has for millennia.  It is a horrific contagion that can and has destroyed individuals, families, communities, nations, organizations of all shapes and sizes as well as our modern day businesses.  So why have so few of you heard of this viral infection of the mind?  You have, but it goes under the guise of negativity, pessimism, intolerance, anger, misdirection, hopelessness, sightlessness, ignorance, and many other synonyms.

This virus makes it's home in our thoughts and has a lethal impact on our actions and ultimately our efficacy as well as our fate.  Because of the epidemic nature of this thought process it begins with us as individuals and impacts all of our spheres within which we operate.  Think of the effect of pessimism on your performance in any facet of life.  Then consider when that pessimism is communicated to another and the effect it has on others and the butterfly effect sets in motion a completely different path that impacts so many.  It's evidence is in the media, Facebook "discussions," the world's economy, the increasing number of divorces, the failing companies crumbling all around us.

I in no means am trying to spark any controversy or call attention to any group.  Judgement of others actions are not mine to be made.  I simply want to spark an inventory and serious introspection of what we allow to penetrate our minds, because that will influence our behavior and how we influence those critical relationships to which we all belong.  Might I suggest that the purpose of living a principle driven life is meant for every individual and unit of society and business of whose culture we are a key component.

The reason why Mind Viruses are so prevalent generally begins at our core and is most effective when the individual and organization don't have what some refer to as Mission, Vision and Value Statements as a shield or foundation.  I would like to take the liberty of melting those together along with credo, mantra and add a little bit of elasticity to the mix.  As that mixes and the essence  and residue of that formula are left behind, I would serve it's serum as a vaccination for Memes.

You see, it is when we as mankind, all sharing a common thread of divinity and similarity have a strong understanding that our missions, visions and the all powerful value of love are the same for each of us and it is when we begin to live accordingly that we begin to progress.  Individually and and groups we need to know what we do, why we do it and how to do it effectively if we are to succeed as individuals or larger structures such as businesses.  These are not just hollow words that are on some family crest or corporate brochure.  These words do not demean nor have intent to divide, rather they are the essence of greatness that fuels our fires and throughout our sojourn of morality, refines us, giving us a sense of joy, accomplishment, and even transforms good companies into great companies. 

I've always summed mine up in the 3 words:  Principles, Execution, Fulfillment  

This is a perhaps a bit boiled down but our statements should be concise and powerful, capturing the true essence of what gets us up in the morning and will be the elaboration of the internalized essence of the unseen energy that burns within, spurring us to high performance and stands as a guardian and protection against all Mind Viruses.

Here are a variety of examples that I have collected.  Individual one's are difficult to compose and will evolve over time, but write them out and make them special and incorporate them into everything that you do so that they have the powerful inspiration of an epic music composition on a daily basis, as opposed to oxidizing in the harsh elements, becoming like tinkering brass cymbals:

Personal Examples

Yolanda E Kruger: My passion is to improve people through coaching interventions by infusing skills and knowledge, by adding inspiration and motivation to their quest to conquer challenges and be their best. 

Steve M Nash:  "I want to be the greatest ME I can possibly BE"  And what this means (to me, anyway) is the following:

  * I rise as high as I possibly can, be as 'BIG' as I possibly can

  * I accept FULL responsibility for the highs and lows of my life

  * I forgive myself (AND others) as often as I can (and forgive myself when I seem        unable to do this!)

  Julie Clark:  pour my heart into life.

Corporate Examples

Nike: To bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world.

Starbucks: To inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cup and one neighborhood at a time.

Chevron: To be the global energy company most admired for its people, partnership, and performance.

Amazon: To be the most customer-centric company in the world, where people can find and discover anything they want to buy online.

Intel: Delight our customers, employees, and shareholders by relentlessly delivering the platform and technology advancements that become essential to the way we work and live.

Ebay: Provide a global trading platform where practically anyone can trade practically anything.

Written By: Timothy James Andrus