How to Create and Incorporate Your Family Tagline
A Family Tagline (Motto) is a strong way to tie a family together, create unity and help children feel they are a part of something great. The tagline should be a single message that incorporates who the family is and what is expected of each other.
In choosing a Family Tagline, you should consider three things:
- What is your family good at?
- What help does your family need?
- What is your goal for your family?
A strong family tagline will answer all three questions.
One ceoMom noticed her daughter would easily give up when she tried something new. For example, while trying to learn to ride a bike, her daughter would become so frustrated (almost immediately) at not being able to turn-over the pedals, she would burst into tears and felt helpless. On the other hand, the dad in the family was a cyclist and would climb up steep mountain canyons on his bike. When he got really tired, he would always tell himself that he had to make it to the top. This ceoMom realized she could leverage her husband's determination to create their Family Tagline and could then use it to strengthen her daughter. She came up with: “Thompson's Never Give Up.”
The next time her daughter went to ride her bike and got stuck, she would say, “Thompson's never give up and you're a Thompson. That means you can't give up.” It took a few times and then her daughter started getting it. And to the absolute shock and thrill to the mom, it worked. Her daughter started pedaling.
“Thompson's Never Give Up” caught on in the family. The dad during some grueling rides up the mountain began telling himself: “I can't give up. Thompson's never give up!” Their two-year old started saying, “Try again” instead of crying in frustration. Even the mom would catch herself using the tagline in her own life when she wanted to bake a homemade pie and the crust kept breaking or when she had to prepare a document for PTA. They hung their motto on the wall as a constant reminder and use it as often as they can to motivate and empower their daughters, which is their ultimate goal. Imagine the life-long impact of this Family tagline?
A Family Tagline therefore needs to be:
- Meaningful
- Repeated
To make the tagline stick, it needs to be repeated often, especially at conception. You need to look for opportunities to use it. At first, you may feel you sound silly. Your husband might raise an eyebrow at the dinner table and wonder where in the heck you came up with that. Your tagline might seem so over the top or not even close to where you want to be, that it might feel awkward at first. That's ok. You will grow into your tagline.
If you put the expectation out there, you will become what you want to be. So although it might not come as natural as you might think, persist. You should start feeling more comfortable saying it after a week or two. Just say it a lot in the beginning – three to five times a day. Once it sticks, put it on your wall and make it permanent. It will be a defining moment.
