To paraphrase a well-known philosopher, Henry David Thoreau, most people lead lives of quiet desperation, whose dreams are unfulfilled and unrealized.
It’s sad, and a truth that many people rarely ever explore. They suppress and ignore their own inner promptings, passion, and desire to live life on their own terms. For many, it’s been a lifetime since they felt their own deepest wishes or had a dream of their own.
As an Executive Coach, I’ve worked with a lot of people who experienced this first hand and had the bravery and inner trust to break out and become entrepreneurs. Some of them came to coaching with anxiety and depression – often caused by suppressing these desires and their very own potential, while forecasting a future they did not want to live. Most suppress such desires out of fear – fear they won’t get their security needs met, fear they will fail, some even fear what others will think of them whether they succeed or not.
Abraham Maslow wrote, “If you deliberately plan to be less than you are capable of being, then I warn you that you’ll be deeply unhappy for the rest of your life. You will be evading your own capacities, your own possibilities.”
The entrepreneurial dream may just be that for some people – a dream prompted by their visions of success and freedom. For others it may be a call, an impulse within them to fulfill their potential and purpose. Unfortunately, way too many people aren’t in touch with their own sense of purpose nor realize what their true potential is.
One way to come in contact with our own purpose is to clarify and prioritize your personal values.
Values are what is most important to us in life. They are the guiding principles, virtues, and qualities that make one’s life worth living. They are what a person stands for and what gives their life meaning.
When we actualize or honor our values, that is, make them real and take action upon them, we often experience fulfillment. A sense that we just did what was right and good, not only for us but for others.
Denying ourselves this fulfillment, and others our purpose and gifts, ultimately causes more pain and suffering than we realize.
An Executive Coach or Life Coach can help you discover, clarify and prioritize your own values and once you do, you can create a new venture, a new business built-in in alignment with them.
When you chart and prioritize your values and you learn to begin honoring them you will have a way to guide your decision-making in life, and that includes your work. It makes resolving inner and outer conflicts easier and simpler. You simply check-in with yourself and ask, “does this path or approach honor my values or not?”
The very same values can serve to guide the company’s Vision. They will inform the company’s own values and will be a foundation for its culture and atmosphere. Additionally, it will be so much easier to motivate yourself from within, as well as to ride or weather the inevitable storms and challenges that are a part of life and business. Excessive worry, fear, and despair can be circumvented when we put our faith and trust in our values.
So, how do we put this into action?
Say you value Freedom, Adventure, Wilderness, Peace, and Wellbeing – there are many kinds of businesses you could run that honor those values:
- -Guided Eco-tours
- -Natural / Environmental Protection
- -Personal Wellbeing and Spiritual Retreats
- -Animal Sanctuary
- -Even a clothing brand that supports all these values
You don’t have to create a company inspired by your values, you can run any kind of business that’s in alignment with them and simply infuse the corporate culture and customer experience with those values. They can become part of your brand and messaging and will attract people with similar values.
Honoring your values through your work will make it more meaningful and motivating. Positive Psychology tells us that using one’s values or top character strengths in a combination of ways helps a person become more engaged, productive, and happy, which increases and supports well-being.
Something wonderful happens when a person deeply learns and begins to actualize their values. They begin to notice and appreciate the values of others. So, if you are going to quit your job and open a company that needs a team of employees, it would not only be great if they were aligned with your values, it would be very meaningful if you could help them get clear on their values and help them actualize their own through their work. They don’t have to be identical to yours to do so. This would give them a sense that they’re in the right place, working for good people, doing meaningful work. It begins to build an upward spiral of positivity and productivity.
Consider exploring and working on your own values. If you need help, an Executive or Life Coach is an option you might want to consider as they not only help business professionals at work, they help them live an aligned, congruent, whole, and meaningful life. Interested? Book Your Coaching Exploration Session with Coaching Breakthroughs today at 905-508-6008.