It does feel a bit weird to have a family motto – after all, that’s something that was common hundreds of years ago. But not unlike a common vision for a company, a family motto can strenghten the connections between its members.
Our family motto is “Im Kerne sind wir Sterne”, which translates to “We’re stars at our core”. My wife and me chose this motto, because it works on so many layers for us. First, it connects us to ourselves and to the cosmos. It helps us have the right perspective on things. Second, it makes us reflect who and what we are at the core, and what we care about. Third, it shows a scientific curiosity about everything. If we ponder about what we are made of, we’ll have many interesting questions that arise from that, and this deep sense of curiosity is something we wish to not only remember every day, but also foster in our children. Fourth, it’s a nice combination of deep wonder at the cosmos, but without any supernatural connections, building on a humanistic foundation instead. Fifth, that motto highlights the potential in each one of us to achieve great things, to become a star – not in the sense of popularity, but in the sense of providing enlightenment to others.
I’m very happy with that motto. It’s simple, but it also allows a lot of room for interpretation and deeper questions. I even hope it got you thinking!