Values Are The Foundation Of Success
What are your values? For many of you, that is a tough question to answer. I know, because I was there not so long ago. You may think you have values, but chances are they are just moral guidelines. I use to think I had good values like being kind, respectful, hard working and doing the right thing. These are not your values. Your values are your non-negotiables in life. Your true values are reflected in the decisions you make in life.
I learned that you make decisions in life based on your values or your comfort zone. Safety and comfort is the default value system for most of us. If you don't identify a set of values for yourself you will naturally default to valuing comfort and self preservation over purpose and impact.
What separates successful people from the masses are their values. They don't all have to have the same values (I'll save that for another time), but they all have an intentional value system in place. How does one develop their value system?
If your VALUES are SHALLOW, your VICTORIES will be EMPTY.
Your values are formed by what you believe and how you think. The masses think and believe just about everything fed to them from teachers who have never had success in the areas they are teaching, the news that is created to generate ad revenue or their parents who they hope they never end up like. Critical thinking is not a strong suit of the masses, therefore their belief system is constantly changing based on what others are telling them. It's difficult to establish a set of values when your beliefs can change from headline to headline. If you don't have a strong belief system you will default to your animal instincts of seeking security and comfort.
Figure out your core beliefs. If you believe in God, that's a great place to start. If you are still stuck, ask yourself, why you believe you exist? What purpose do you believe you have to fulfill?
I believe that God has put us here for a reason. He has given us everything we need to prosper and it is up to us whether we seek our full potential or not. Read the Parable Of The Talents, Matthew 25:14-30. I believe family is the most important thing. I believe that time is the true measure of wealth. I believe we are all meant to be free people.
Take your belief system and start to develop your values around that. Think about how you would make decisions in life that would align with your belief system. Would you take a job working 80+ hours a week with 50% travel for a significant raise? For me, no. I value my time and my family more than an amount of money. That is an easy decision for me because I have a value system. If you accept that job offer you might value money over time or you may not have a value system and you see money as a means to safety and comfort. You don't have to agree with my values, but you need to have a set of your own to drive your decision making in life.
You may be thinking how are your values, a foundation for success? I have to look at someone who spent his life studying the most successful people in the world, Napoleon Hill. In his studies, he found, "successful people make decisions quickly and change them very slowly. Unsuccessful people make decisions slowly, and change them often and quickly." With good values come good decisions, and good consistent decisions made over time will result in your success. Never compare your values to others. It's easy to misinterpret someone else's values if you don't know their vision.