Lately, I have been touting this as our new family mantra. Actually, if you’ve spent any time around me you’ve probably heard me say this mantra; there is just something about it that is so simple and yet so profound.

Teamwork makes the dream work.

When I say it to my kids, they roll their eyes and they half smile. I think they do both because while I may be a little tongue-in-cheek about it, they also know that I’m serious. They know that I’m serious about one thing: We are in this together. We are family, and if we want to be successful then we must acknowledge we are on the same team.

I can’t work late without Karen picking up the slack. Connor can’t go to football without someone else in the family making a sacrifice. We can’t get the kids to the right appointments at the right times if we aren’t all willing to pitch in and make it happen.

I’ve deemed this our family mantra for this season in our life because we are crazy busy. I bet you know exactly what I’m talking about! The reality is that most of us are trying to cram more into less time than ever before. We are a fast-paced, fast-moving, and highly scheduled society. I’m not knocking it, just noting the reality.

The thing that breaks my heart the most is how divisive that can be to a family or a relationship. In this type of environment, it is easy to become resentful, rude, or bitter because it feels as if we are all on our own. While all of those things can be true, when we embrace the idea of teamwork the paradigm begins to shift.

Teamwork is the ability to accomplish and do things together that we can never do on our own. Teamwork changes the chore from something I “have” to do “for” you, to something I “get” to do “with” you. When family, friends, or relationships begin to realize that they are on the same team, something amazing happens; dreams begin to become realities.

The amazing part about all of this is that I also get to be on their team. Being on a team doesn’t just happen for one person, it happens for all of us, and through the team there is no telling what can be accomplished.  

What mantra has your family been adopting?