In fact, come to think of it, I'm faced with decisions every day.
Some more difficult than others.
What makes them difficult is not so much the decision itself, but the consequences of those decisions.
Positive or negative.
Big or small.
And most importantly, where that decision takes me on my path.
Through it all, I've learned to base every decision based on one key factor.
My compass.
My guiding core values that have allowed me to make the best, most sound decision with the resources and knowledge I have at the time.
Today I want to share with you what my compass looks like. Yours may not look anything like mine. Yours might be exactly like mine. But the point I want to reach is to decide today what your compass will look like. It will help each major and minor decision you make from this point on that much easier to make. With fewer regrets and more personal fulfillment.
Here it is...
GOD
FAMILY
BUSINESS
FRIENDS
SELF
In that order. That is the hierarchy of my core values.
What do I mean by this?
Basically, any time I come to a crossroads and need to know which direction to take, I look at those core values. God first, then family, then my business, then my friends, then myself.
I understand that as long as I focus on doing what God wants and asks of me, everything else falls into place. From there, I check to see if the decision will benefit my family. Then business, then friends, and so on.
Based on these values, I can always know how to divide up my time, my money, my energy, and my focus. For example, when I had my personal training business, I was my own boss. That means I set my own hours, set my own rates, and designed my life and schedule however I wanted to. When you have unlimited choices, sometimes the hardest thing is to make a choice. Which is why I placed the importance of my business beneath my faith and my family. Because I knew that if left unchecked, my business would take full control of my life and my higher values would suffer. But based on that hierarchy, I had 2 rules for my business.
1. I never trained clients on Sundays.
2. If I sensed my family needed my attention, I put my work away.
Simple.
And sure, I could have probably made a lot more money if I buried myself in work all day every day, but again, making a ton of money wasn't and isn't my top priority in life. As I like to say "chase the dream and the money will follow."
Another example is with my friends. No doubt, over the years, my circle of friends has shrunk. Not that I was Mr. Popular in my younger years, but the time and energy and focus I've put into my friends has certainly diminished. That's because I've devoted all my time, energy, and focus on my faith first, then my family, then my business. But still, my friends' needs come before my own. Which is why I'm always open to helping friends move. Because while everyone else is suddenly "busy" when it comes to helping friends with the tough task of relocating, to me it's an opportunity to help out even though I could be at home taking time for myself.
Now notice I put myself at the bottom. I do this for two reasons. One, because deep down I believe I am a selfless person instead of a selfish one. It's been a long time since I've had the "me me me" attitude towards life. But mainly, because I know that as long as I take care of the first four, that I've served my God, and my family, and my business, and my friends, then I will be taken care of regardless.
Now again, what I set as my hierarchy of priorities doesn't have to be the same as yours. What I think is important is setting them and sticking to them. It not only makes decision making that much easier, but I believe it sets a standard for living. It creates integrity within yourself to say "these are the 5 most important things in my life in this specific order. This order will not change, and everything I say and do will be based on serving this order."
So I encourage you to create your compass today if you haven't yet. Allow it not only to be the guiding light towards every decision you make (I know I know, I've probably overkilled that word in this post), but also allow it to define who you are.
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Mark Lopez blogs about leadership and personal development in order to strengthen his own leadership skills. As a Christian, father, husband, and CEO of his own life, Mark looks to empower others so they can lead lives of success, happiness, and personal fulfillment. To learn more about how Mark can help you live on purpose, e-mail him at thatninjamark@yahoo.com or follow him onFacebook.
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