How well do you know yourself? This is an honest question. I’m really not trying to be facetious. I’m coming to realize that this is a key component of success in life. Far too many people have not taken a serious look at who they are and what they believe. They just move with the ebb and flow of the people and situations around them.
Recently I went to a workshop on how to be a better speaker. The very first lesson was about creating a personal mission statement. We had to look at who we are, what we believe, and how others see us. It was a critical foundation on which the rest of the lessons were built.
A couple of weeks after the workshop, I went to a business retreat in Colorado that was specifically on marketing our businesses. One of the key lessons was on defining who we are and what we believe in because our businesses will be the most successful when we are our authentic selves.
Today I was listening to some audio on Power Networking. One of the first of the 55 Power Tips was to write a list of our values and what is important to us. We then need to prioritize the list to the absolute must’s, the important, and the would like to have’s.
Are you seeing a pattern here? Before any of these tools can be effective, we have to know ourselves so we can apply the tools in the proper ways. These values and personal mission statements act as a filter for our lives. When any new situation or opportunity presents itself, we can compare it to these values and see if it truly fits us. It will save so much time and prevent running down a rabbit trail and then having to backtrack later on.
Here’s an example. I don’t believe it is wise to purchase whole life insurance. You are mixing insurance and investing in a single product and you end up compromising both. So, if I were to network with an insurance agent in the hopes of building a mutually beneficial partnership, and I discovered that he primarily recommends whole life insurance to his clients, then I would back away from that relationship. I could not remain true to myself under that situation.
Getting to know yourself better will provide so much wisdom and insight to your life. Take some time to write out what is valuable and important to you. Keep this list handy. Pull it out whenever you have big decisions to make in your life. Analyze them with respect to this list. It will help you in the decision making process.