The short answer
Reject negativity and worry. Do whatever it takes. Never let problems become excuses. Give while it still costs you something. These four have survived every phase of my life, including the ones that tried hardest to remove them.
In full
Reject negativity and worry. I have seen poverty, loss, betrayal, and illness. The problems of today will soon become history past.
Do whatever it takes. Every successful person has done the unglamorous work of moving from humble beginnings to the next better phase. That is not a slogan, it is the price.
Never let problems become excuses. We all have moments that feel like failure. If you stop, you will be a failure. If you keep pushing, success will come.
Give while it still costs you something. Wealth without generosity turns inward, and the portion you release is the only part guaranteed to outlive you.
From experience
I started at eight years old with candy sold in a school hallway, and I have been robbed, sued, and knocked flat since. The values did not change with the balance sheet. That is the only test of a value that means anything.
Common mistake
Writing values on a wall that the leadership does not obey when it is inconvenient. Staff learn the real values from what you tolerate.
Do this next
- Step 1
Write your four non-negotiables in your own words, not borrowed ones.
- Step 2
Identify where you broke one this quarter and what it cost.
- Step 3
Make one decision this month that honors a value at a real price.
Questions
- Can values change?
- They should deepen, not rotate. A value that changes with circumstance was a preference.
- How do you install values in a team?
- By what you reward and what you refuse to tolerate. Nothing else registers.
By Robert T Fletcher