Have you ever just taken on a task for the sake of getting it done and discovered a greater learning and insight. For me that happens when I do the dishes. Other occasions are when I am being diligent in working on a project and faced with multiple challenges at once that diminish my capacity to participate at 100%. Those moments when your 7 year old has a melt down over what’s for dinner and mac and cheese is not on the menu, which is exacerbated by a migraine that is so bad you have an upset stomach. Welcome to life, my life of a single parent, widowed, fully employed and studying part time. This is my new normal. I am sure some of you can relate to that picture.
In life’s school of learning this week I found some valuable truths that will impact the rest of my life and perhaps yours as well.
Comparatively, continued education not matter the format or form (sometimes experience is the educator), has relevance in the professional and personal arenas. This relevance would be in terms of a journey where a road map is needed to guide and plan the journey. Franklin Covey is known for saying, “Begin with the end in mind.” As I think of the statement “Begin with the End in mind,” I think of end results and outcomes. Inevitably questions develop from this meditative phrase. Such questions are, how do we want others to perceive our business, our life’s objectives, our achievements, who we became? What have we done to increase the life quality of our community? Did we remember those in need? In leadership did we impact our employees for good? With a perspective of looking at the outcome of what we want to achieve and reverse engineering the map of our journey we can develop a more capable, decisive, authentic road map for ourselves.
After doing some extensive reading I believe there are certain virtues that we need to have as tools on our journey. Having the right tools is important as we navigate through challenges to becoming our desired result. Some capacities we may inadvertently pick up, unaware of the condition of our hearts. One such cunning derivative of success is Pride. How would you define Pride? Do you see it as a good capacity in business or a detriment to dull the senses to the needs of others? What would we give away of ourselves, our true authentic person to get gain or be stationed above another? It seems to be a lonely place. If pride was the impetus to do well and have resolve to help others, then it would be a great virtue to possess. Unfortunately, in this age of entitlement and infidelity, greed and insatiable appetites to being better, doing more, we get lost in what we began our dream for. Lost in the race and feeling of the prosperous nature of abundant blessings of wealth.
Don’t misunderstand. I believe to be able to be blessed with abundance is great, however do we shelter it, or do we thank the higher being by giving back to our communities and stop, yes stop to help others. Are we selfish or selfless? Hopefully it is the latter. I think it is important when deciding how to give back to your community it is important to ask yourself, do my choices provide impact to the community and world around you positively? In other words what are your motives. Is your primal motive to make money or impact a life for good?
Believe it or not we all have an underlying motivation for what we do in life. Defining your motivation will drive how you chose to service your customers’ needs and drive the businesses direction. An A-Level business person seeks to be honest, cares for their customers, sets fair prices, honors their commitments to their employees’ welfare, provides the most excellent quality goods and services, remembers to be a person of their word and lastly works as hard as their employees. Set your wheelhouse direction and plan your course. Are you and A Level manager, executive or a B-D Level that sets for naught the well being of others and only derives pleasure from gaining money, treasure, popularity and need I say 15 mins of fame no matter what the cost, life or limb of others.
The second tool is a much-misplaced virtue called Integrity. Being totally and unequivocally true to what we believe no matter the circumstances presented. Previously I mentioned motivation, this motivation drives your decisions. The tool of integrity, will drive your decisions if you choose to carry this tool with you always. Sheri L Dew the autobiographer for Gordan B Hinckley, said when speaking at Brigham Young University in 2004 said, “Decide today, once and for all, that you will be worthy of trust–the trust of family and friends, colleagues and business associates, and most of all, the Lord. The more the Lord trusts you, the more knowledge and power He will give you.” Can you see how motivation is key to what we decide to do? This tool is so specialized that to utilize it every day we must turn it on by deciding and making a commitment not for a day but for a life time never turning it off.
If you don’t believe me then watch https://ecorner.stanford.edu/video/why-are-ethics-important/
Frank Levinson, of Finisar Corporation in this concise video about corporate obligation in the form of “Ethics” essentially rallies the troupes and thinkers in the following way, “It’s often more difficult than it sounds, but it's important to be fanatically ethical when building a company, says Levinson. He believes people understand if it's an ethical environment right away. It is something that people gravitate to, he says, so you just have to build it early and never step off of it.” I think that I have made my point.
My final comments go back to the phrase “Begin with the End in Mind,” with one caveat, and you have reached the end, what would your final words be. Death and loss in life brings a tremendous amount of finality and reflection of ourselves and those we have lost. As your family gathers, cries uncontrollably, gasps for air, collapses, finding solace in each other and their friends what would they remember of you. What in the end would you hope they talked? How would they see your life and what you achieved or didn’t achieve, what mattered most to you? Were they a part of that motivation? How many of them were surprised by the work you did to help others? It is a very sobering thought and somewhat morose, however, it is truth, unfailing truth. Again, begin with the end product, your legacy, your values both in life and in business. What makes you? What drives you?
In life’s school of learning this week I found some valuable truths that will impact the rest of my life and perhaps yours as well.
Comparatively, continued education not matter the format or form (sometimes experience is the educator), has relevance in the professional and personal arenas. This relevance would be in terms of a journey where a road map is needed to guide and plan the journey. Franklin Covey is known for saying, “Begin with the end in mind.” As I think of the statement “Begin with the End in mind,” I think of end results and outcomes. Inevitably questions develop from this meditative phrase. Such questions are, how do we want others to perceive our business, our life’s objectives, our achievements, who we became? What have we done to increase the life quality of our community? Did we remember those in need? In leadership did we impact our employees for good? With a perspective of looking at the outcome of what we want to achieve and reverse engineering the map of our journey we can develop a more capable, decisive, authentic road map for ourselves.
After doing some extensive reading I believe there are certain virtues that we need to have as tools on our journey. Having the right tools is important as we navigate through challenges to becoming our desired result. Some capacities we may inadvertently pick up, unaware of the condition of our hearts. One such cunning derivative of success is Pride. How would you define Pride? Do you see it as a good capacity in business or a detriment to dull the senses to the needs of others? What would we give away of ourselves, our true authentic person to get gain or be stationed above another? It seems to be a lonely place. If pride was the impetus to do well and have resolve to help others, then it would be a great virtue to possess. Unfortunately, in this age of entitlement and infidelity, greed and insatiable appetites to being better, doing more, we get lost in what we began our dream for. Lost in the race and feeling of the prosperous nature of abundant blessings of wealth.
Don’t misunderstand. I believe to be able to be blessed with abundance is great, however do we shelter it, or do we thank the higher being by giving back to our communities and stop, yes stop to help others. Are we selfish or selfless? Hopefully it is the latter. I think it is important when deciding how to give back to your community it is important to ask yourself, do my choices provide impact to the community and world around you positively? In other words what are your motives. Is your primal motive to make money or impact a life for good?
Believe it or not we all have an underlying motivation for what we do in life. Defining your motivation will drive how you chose to service your customers’ needs and drive the businesses direction. An A-Level business person seeks to be honest, cares for their customers, sets fair prices, honors their commitments to their employees’ welfare, provides the most excellent quality goods and services, remembers to be a person of their word and lastly works as hard as their employees. Set your wheelhouse direction and plan your course. Are you and A Level manager, executive or a B-D Level that sets for naught the well being of others and only derives pleasure from gaining money, treasure, popularity and need I say 15 mins of fame no matter what the cost, life or limb of others.
The second tool is a much-misplaced virtue called Integrity. Being totally and unequivocally true to what we believe no matter the circumstances presented. Previously I mentioned motivation, this motivation drives your decisions. The tool of integrity, will drive your decisions if you choose to carry this tool with you always. Sheri L Dew the autobiographer for Gordan B Hinckley, said when speaking at Brigham Young University in 2004 said, “Decide today, once and for all, that you will be worthy of trust–the trust of family and friends, colleagues and business associates, and most of all, the Lord. The more the Lord trusts you, the more knowledge and power He will give you.” Can you see how motivation is key to what we decide to do? This tool is so specialized that to utilize it every day we must turn it on by deciding and making a commitment not for a day but for a life time never turning it off.
If you don’t believe me then watch https://ecorner.stanford.edu/video/why-are-ethics-important/
Frank Levinson, of Finisar Corporation in this concise video about corporate obligation in the form of “Ethics” essentially rallies the troupes and thinkers in the following way, “It’s often more difficult than it sounds, but it's important to be fanatically ethical when building a company, says Levinson. He believes people understand if it's an ethical environment right away. It is something that people gravitate to, he says, so you just have to build it early and never step off of it.” I think that I have made my point.
My final comments go back to the phrase “Begin with the End in Mind,” with one caveat, and you have reached the end, what would your final words be. Death and loss in life brings a tremendous amount of finality and reflection of ourselves and those we have lost. As your family gathers, cries uncontrollably, gasps for air, collapses, finding solace in each other and their friends what would they remember of you. What in the end would you hope they talked? How would they see your life and what you achieved or didn’t achieve, what mattered most to you? Were they a part of that motivation? How many of them were surprised by the work you did to help others? It is a very sobering thought and somewhat morose, however, it is truth, unfailing truth. Again, begin with the end product, your legacy, your values both in life and in business. What makes you? What drives you?
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