I write in The Good Life Book about the state of Being where everything you do expresses your values.
Part of the idea of being and also my personal philosophy of life is that our actions ultimately speak louder than words.
In my life one of the most resounding actions I've taken, was to actually quit a successful (and lucrative) management consulting career, to write a book and start a business aimed at making others lives better (and hopefully making the world a better place too).
After publishing the book, my daily focus is now on building my business/mission, Total Life Complete, and on engaging with various stakeholder groups.
These stakeholders include coaching and seminar clients, readers / listeners / viewers of the different types of content I produce, suppliers, business partners, communities (Dallas, Entrepreneurship and Social Entrepreneurship, Charities and so on) as well as personal stakeholders (wife, family, friends).
As life gets busy I want to have a set of life guiding-principles written down so that they may tell me where I am, and show me where to next.
Here are my principles. This will naturally be a living document, though always centred, I hope, around the same common themes.
- Whatever I do in life should be anchored to and aligned with my core values
- Material success is ok, so long it's always rooted in the "inside-out". The only judge of this is the mirror.
- I aspire to be a role model for how others can live their lives and seek success in the world. Part of this is showing the importance of contribution as a win-win-win (good for you, good for others, good for society)
- I will strive for quality and excellence, but I won't let perfectionism get in the way of trying to do the right thing
- Leverage. I will seek to multiply the good I do, through others.
- Collaboration. I will share other's best ideas, I will share my best ideas with others, we'll create the best ideas and make the most impact together
- Balance. Seeking a holistic life through: meaningful work, personal relationships, physical and mental health, spiritual connection and groundedness and self-expression/contribution
- Growth. Expanding my comfort zone though peak experiences and personal interactions, ideas, actions. Helping others to do this too
- Sustainability. Setting up my mission to continue after my lifetime
- Community. Working interdependently with geographic, social and intellectual communities.
OK, that's it for now. This first draft is being written on May 12th 2017. Let's see how things progress!
Importantly, for you, why not have a go at drafting your own life principles? They have to be deeply felt and not a copy of anybody else's (even mine)! If you do draft your life principles then why not try living them today. If you live your principles then you'll already be living a good life!