As an individual, you need to have certain principles that guide you in everything you do both in your personal life and professional life. When consistently applied, those principles or values come to define who you are, and others learn to rely on you because they know what to expect. We discuss some of the benefits that come from being consistent in living by your core values.
It Engenders Focus
Core values are a small set of principles that you live by. They are usually 3-5 in number, and they are supposed to permeate everything you do. When you identify and live by your core values, they help you to focus on what really matters to you.
This focus takes on added importance when you consider the pace at which changes are happening around you. Without focus, you can easily end up going this way and that way, without making any meaningful progress. By focusing on your core values, you remain anchored and focused on the direction that you have set for yourself.
Your Reliability Grows
Humans are creatures of habit, and we always try to identify what habits characterize those around us. When you live by your core values and consistently apply them, the people around you will learn to depend on you because the core values make you reliable.
For example, if honesty is one of your core values, you will tend to say what you mean, and you will always deliver on your promises. Over time, the people you interact with will learn this about you, and they will know that you can be relied on to deliver what you say you will deliver. As your reputation for being reliable grows, opportunities will keep opening up for you and you will grow personally as well as professionally.
Consistency in Values Builds Momentum
When you are consistent in living by your core values, everyone knows what to expect of you, as we have already mentioned. Because of this clarity, energy and movement are created. For example, if you own a company, all your employees will know what that business stands for, and this clarity will give them the energy they need to move fast in attaining the goals that you have set. As momentum builds, it will be as though you have shortcuts that make it possible for you to achieve everything that you want to achieve.
Unity of Purpose
Individuals who consistently live by their core values attract those who cherish and aspire to those values. It is a case of birds of the same feather flocking together.
When you attract like-minded people to you, it is easier for you to get the help that you need on your journey to achieving your goals. It is also easy to have a support group that holds you accountable for the achievement of your goals and plans.
Consistency in Values isn’t Easy to Maintain
While many aspire to live by their core values, it isn’t easy to be consistent on this path. Many roadblocks will get in the way, and life may happen. For example, a new technology may come and disrupt your industry, and you will be caught up in firefighting to keep your business afloat.
In such a situation, it is easy to be tempted to suspend some of your values for the sake of rescuing your business. However, the shocks that we suffer from time to time shouldn’t sidetrack us from our core values. For as long as you focus on being of service to society or the stakeholders of your business, a value-based outlook is possible. Always seek to be of service to others, and this driving force will make it easier for you to be consistent in putting your core strength to good use. This consistency will be the radar that guides you through the ups and downs that life is made of.