Subscribe on iTunes

Subscribe on Stitcher

31 Days to Becoming a Better Leader

Foundations

Day #2: Personal Life Vision

A dream is the creative vision for your life in the future.– Denis Waitley

Set your personal life vision in order to protect yourself from getting sucked into the vortex of running an organization at the expense of quality of life.

Define the life you want first, and then develop the organization that will support your quality of life. We often think we can ultimately get to that quality of life if we work really, really hard…but all too often, we have developed such bad habits and have over-functioned so much, we seldom get to reap the rewards of those benefits.

Define your core values, that are the fundamental beliefs guiding your thoughts and actions, and attract like-minded people to you and to your work. Add values that, if those are missing, anything more is no deal. Write those down and review them weekly. Alignment with values is crucial to your success.

In the next session, I will provide you with a process for thinking of values for your organization. You can use that same process for your own values, and then teach that process to everyone in your organization.

Core values are the foundation of your culture, however, they are single words that leave a lot open to interpretation. We tend to write them and then file them away and forget about them. Ideally, everything you do in life will reflect your personal core values.

Here are some areas to consider when developing your own personal list of core values:

• Religious beliefs affiliated with your religion
• Being a good steward of resources of time, talent, and money
• The belief anchored in family and family values
• The value of relationships over outcomes
• Dedication to living a healthy life with diet, exercise, and sleep
• Discipline of managing priorities to balance life/work/play, etc.

Next, set up your plan for your life with your ultimate life goals…define life at some point in the future in writing. Read it daily and commit to making it happen. Focus on what you desire and not on what you fear.

Building on your personal values, write out a vision for your life. Define what people will say about you at your memorial service after you are gone, or what’s inscribed on your tombstone. I’m not thinking that it would say, “He regrets not working more days during his life.” Write your vision statement.

Write your mission statement, defining how you will show up and what you will do in your life to bring value to everyone, especially to yourself.

Consider creating a journal. Write your values, vision, and mission statements, and then keep a journal of your life.

If your life has value, then write about that value.

Next: Day #3: Organizational Core Values