My Core Values: An Exercise

June 2nd, 2009 • Personal

It’s not hard to make decisions when you know what your values are.
- Walt Disney

I saw the Art of Manliness’ 30 Days to a Better Man program come across my feed the other day, and given that I’m a sucker for pieces like this (I’m still trying to track down an Esquire from last year revolving around the same theme), figured I’d keep track of the pieces as they came through. Monday’s piece confirmed that this idea might have legs. My goal was to define my core values; the things that determine my purpose in life, and how I make the decisions I do. These are the exercises that I have a lot of fun with, and I figured I’d share with you all what my core values are. Luckily, I’ve been involved in some value-based organizations in the past, and have thought about these things before. As I ramp up what I’m currently working on, though, it’s good to be able to re-think these to make sure I’m following them.

So, without further ado, here are my core values (in order), and why they’re important to me:

1) Flexibility

Stay committed to your decisions, but stay flexible in your approach.
- Tom Robbins

This is the most important aspect of my life, and has been reflected in many of the opportunities that I’ve seized, and things I’ve done. I bore easily; this much is true. When I talk about wanting flexibility, I mean it in every aspect of my life. I’m not planning on owning property any time soon, mostly because I’m not sure where I’ll actually want to be next. I’m fortunate that much of the work that I do can be done remotely, and with the growth in full mobile internet solutions, the work/traveler balance that I dream of having comes closer and closer. Who needs a homebase anymore?

2) Adventure

I see my path, but I don’t know where it leads. Not knowing where I’m going is what inspires me to travel it.
- Rosalia de Castro

This goes hand-in-hand with the flexibility value, although it’s may not be what other people’s definition of adventure may be. I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not a huge fan of heights, and that a lot of the so-called “adventure sports” don’t appeal to me. However, I love exploring, and the sense of adventure that comes with it. It’s why I’m likely planning a few solo camping trips this summer; why I take off on random roadtrips, why I want to visit all 50 states before I’m 30 (30 down already!), and why I have exotic countries and travels in mind. This exploration invigorates me; and helps me push to be adventurous in my day-to-day life as well.

3) Knowledge

Knowledge is the true organ of sight, not the eyes.
- Panchatantra

This is no surprise to anyone who has had the unfortunate pleasure of seeing Know-It-All Dan. I devour knowledge – to embarrassing points, sometimes (like reading my sister’s very clearly female-oriented books growing up, for example.) I read at least 50 articles or various subjects each and every day, and continuing to learn new things will never get old to me. Sure, a lot of it may be knowledge that I will never need, but some of it can – and has – prove useful in ways that I might not even have imagined.

4) Self-reliance

I care not so much what I am to others as what I am to myself. I will be rich by myself, and not by borrowing.
- Michel de Montaigne

I’m sure there’s a number of things that I could credit this to, including the various roles I had to play as the eldest sibling, but the ability to be self-reliant is essential to me (and is something that I haven’t quite mastered yet.) I tell people that my definition of wealthy is the ability to live the lifestyle that I want to – which consists of a combination of the above 3 values. I joke about growing up as a golden parachute kid – which has some validity – but I also started my first business at 13, and continue to be out “on my own,” doing things for myself.

5) Realism

How many legs does a dog have if you call the tail a leg? Four. Calling a tail a leg doesn’t make it a leg.
- Abraham Lincoln

For better or worse, I’m me. I don’t hide who I am online or off, which doesn’t always carry well with everyone all of the time. However, to me it’s important that people know what it is that they can expect, and know that if they have something to say to me, or something to ask, that they’ll get the un-filtered, real me. I’m not here to make friends all of the time, and legitimately feel that if people are looking for my opinion, then that’s what they should get.

So there you have it – a little bit better idea of who I am and what drives me. I’m working on a personal mission statement based on these as well (a la Peter’s great one from a couple months back.) As the Art of Manliness’ series moves forward, I’ll post here when relevant exercises present themselves. Feel free to let me know your thoughts!

Trackback URI.