We’re used to businesses that have vision or mission statements, but what about a personal mission statement? Or a family mission statement? That’s what Regan Fackrell and his family make every year.

“Fackrells don’t say can’t!” It’s the family theme for 2014, a tradition Regan (who is a sales director at my company) and his wife, Andrea, started in 2011. Each year, the Fackrells meet as a family and talk about what they want to accomplish in the coming year. After some discussion, they decide on the motto. They even have a family celebration where everyone talks about keeping the motto front-and-center all year.

Their four mottos:

• 2011: Fackrells are tough. Fackrells don’t whine or complain.
• 2012: Fackrells do hard things.
• 2013: Fackrells try new things and meet new people.
• 2014: Fackrells don’t say “can’t”.

Anyone who knows Regan isn’t surprised by this. He charges forward and works his tail off – as evidenced by these family mottos – and lives his personal life very similarly to his work life.

The Fackrells’ 2014 family mission statement is about making sure you always try – before saying can’t. And the Fackrell kids are getting very good at correcting each other when one uses can’t in a sentence.

Regan made stickers (check out the photo) with can’t crossed out. The family has them on their cars and on bathroom mirrors as daily reminders to always keep trying. Regan even uses the motto in his email signature.

The idea of a family motto is something Regan and his wife, Andrea, came up with after reading Clayton Christensen’s How Will You Measure Your Life? in the Harvard Business Review. The notion of keeping the purpose of your life resonates with the Fackrells, as did this quote from Christensen:

“Investing time and energy in your relationship with your spouse and children typically doesn’t offer that same immediate sense of achievement. Kids misbehave every day. It’s really not until 20 years down the road that you can put your hands on your hips and say, ‘I raised a good son or a good daughter.’ You can neglect your relationship with your spouse, and on a day-to-day basis, it doesn’t seem as if things are deteriorating. People who are driven to excel have this unconscious propensity to underinvest in their families and overinvest in their careers—even though intimate and loving relationships with their families are the most powerful and enduring source of happiness.”

It resonates with me, too. I never want to get so tied up in work that I neglect the important job of being a good spouse, parent, sibling, son, neighbor, or friend.

What motto or mission statement do you live by? Is there a saying or catch-phrase that drives your daily work or reinforces your family’s focus?

Leave a comment. Send me a tweet. I’d love to hear your “Don’t Say Can’t” story.