How do you measure your success? In a recent branding exercise, we drilled down to what was truly important to us as a business. We discussed our core values, our mission and our vision. Branding expert Robert Allen Paul forced us to really think about what mattered most and why we do what we do.
Oftentimes, in business, we get so caught up in chasing the almighty dollar that we don’t stop and think about what is truly important to us, what it is that we want to accomplish and the real “why” that drives us. We call these our core motivating values. Taking the time to establish these values and truly thinking about your business and life makes getting up every day much easier. I find myself rising early each morning with real purpose and the drive to accomplish the goals we have set based on our motivating values.
This exercise was taxing, thought-provoking and rewarding all at the same time. The following questions make establishing your values much easier. I challenge each reader to think through each question, make a journal entry around each category of purpose, productivity and prosperity, and give your business the jump-start it might need right now.
- Who do you really want to be? Where do you want to go? How will you know when you’ve arrived? More importantly, how do you really want to measure your success? Your life? These are just a few of the questions every professional must answer before they can begin building a more meaningful career and a life of real purpose.
Productivity. Are you feeling genuinely productive or just overwhelmingly busy? Are you a slave to habit or the master of your resources? Establishing proven systems, delegating second-tier responsibilities and eliminating “fake work” will help you become more productive and profitable, while spending more time on the people and pursuits you enjoy most. How will you measure your productivity?
Prosperity. What does this word really mean to you? Is it a matter of greater wealth? Are you focusing on the things that matter? Perhaps a little of both? Prosperity is defined a little differently by each client we serve, but most agree it means having the opportunities and resources to live well. So, we put you in a position to make life decisions based on your values and principles instead of on your budget or other limitations.
I recently spent some time with a 77-year-old real estate billionaire and asked him why he still works even though he has all the money he will ever want or need. He replied by telling me that it was never about the money. His goal in life was to simply live well and love what he does.
Every business, whether you’re a single agent or a large corporation, can find real benefit in taking the time to answer each of the questions above. Drive home your mission, share it with your company and team and live by the core values you establish as you take on the world. I promise that if you live a life with purpose and do things daily that move you closer to your goals, you will live a life of prosperity, because you deserve it.
Verl Workman is the founder and CEO of Workman Success Systems (1-385-282-7112), an international speaking, consulting and coaching company that specializes in performance coaching and building successful power agents and teams.
For more information, visit www.verlworkman.com.
