Purpose and Values: Establishing Your Foundation

First Principles

My apology…

“Your post last week was way too wordy.” “I don't want to hurt your feelings, but I had to keep going back and forth to keep track of what was going on.” “You should ask Nick what he thinks.” That was my wife's reaction, kind but honest.

Nick (my son) was very tactful. His response was exactly what I asked for. After a brief “Don't take it wrong” message, I got “Critique incoming!” He and Donna were both exactly on point.

I owe it to you to make sure each post is worth your time. My intention was to introduce a new series, but I ended up sounding like I was selling something. I’m not—I’m simply laying out topics I plan to explore. Good intentions, poor execution.

I’ll do better from here on out. Thank you for your patience!

Don't go off half-cocked, half-baked, or half-assed. - Tony Pray

Effective decision-making has to start by going in the right direction. If it doesn’t line up with your purposes or if it contradicts what you value most, it can’t be right for you.

Establish your “Why”

Every time I tried to think about my “purpose” in life, my mind would veer off into distractions. It took me a very long time to finally cut through the B.S. I was selling myself to get to the core of what makes me tick. Your results will be different.

I believe it’s worth the effort. If you don’t know the goal, your efforts are likely to be in the wrong direction. If you have a purpose in mind, you will at least be going in the right general direction.

"He who has a why to live can bear almost any how," - Victor Frankl

Determine your “values”.

Next, you need to understand what you value. Is it ‘family”, “loyalty”, “friendship”, “power”, “peace”, “honesty”, “popularity”, “money” or any combination of attributes? What are the best things you aspire to be? Your values are your roadmap to the kind of person you want to be while you go after your goals. Maybe your purpose in life is to gain power. If you value subterfuge, you could be a Machiavelli. If you value cooperation, you might be an Andy Reid (KC Chiefs head coach). Both got power, in ways guided by the things they value. Your values determine how you make the journey.

Knowing where you're going and how you'll get there is the foundation of great decision-making.

The following recommendation is not a homework assignment, just a great source if you want to dig deeper.

Frankl, Viktor E. Man's Search for Meaning. Beacon Press, 2006.

That’s My Perspective…