What Guides Your Life?

We all have things that guide the way we live and work. Most of the time they are of the unwritten variety (unfortunately). We have no idea why we make the decisions we make, react to situations the way we react or why we succeed (of fail) at achieving the results we set out to achieve. In other words we spend most of the life we are given gambling on our future.

A wiser approach and one of the guiding principles for leading a life of significance is being more intentional about what you do (or don’t do), how you do (or don’t) do it and why you are doing (or not doing) it.

Over the years I have developed and refined a set of guiding principles for the teams that I lead that I summarize as follows. Over the coming weeks I will be speaking specifically about each one, but for today here they are. Let the mind wander about what they might mean and then check in over the next six weeks to see if you wandered in the right direction.

• Speak boldly and candidly but always with positive intentions

• Over communicate with leadership, teammates and everyone else

• Care deeply about the right things, get comfortable ignoring the rest

• Reflect on the past, live in the present but work towards the future

• Don’t be a jerk and when you are a jerk, apologize

• Challenge the status quo in a persistent but respectful way

So what?

What guides your life? Find the time to invest in your journey towards living a life of significance by spending 15 mins a day over the next week thinking about the principles that you use to determine

• What are my priorities in life? (what does a life of significance look like for me?)

• Does how I spend my resources (time/talent/treasure) help me achieve my life priorities?

• What is the filter I use to determine if I should (or should not) do something?

• Who are the people who help me achieve my life of significance? Who are the people who distract me from achieving my life of significance?

• What are the activities that help me achieve my life of significance? What are the activities that distract me from achieving my life of significance?  

On day one write them down, on days two-five refine them, on day six share them with someone you trust. On day seven write them on a fresh sheet of paper and then begin to filter your decisions through them. Amazing things will begin to happen!

Have a guiding principle to share drop it in the comments.