Mark Brown
By Mark Brown
Our last training message focused on the power of axioms. We stated that because axioms are by definition true, using axioms as you identify core values helps you live according to true principles. And, if you establish core values that aren’t based on truth, you will eventually find your actions, and therefore your life, drifting from truth.
The importance of core values cannot be overstated. We live in the information age and are bombarded from all quarters with all sorts of data—some of it useful, most of it vacuous, and all of it with the power to distract. If we are not clear on our core values—if we do not have clear priorities—and if we do not take the time to remind ourselves what those core values are, we can lose sight of them.
One may wonder how one could lose sight of a core value such as being a trusting and loving father, for example, but just ask yourself when you last gave more priority to something of far less importance and you’ll see what I mean. It’s like a radio signal that you can’t quite pick up because of all the noise in the spectrum.
In our Max Living seminars and in the Max Living System Guidebook, we provide a thought exercise to help you identify your core values—for what would you cross a six-inch wide, 192-foot-long I-beam 1,483 feet above the ground? Perhaps a few would cross for baseball or Starbucks, but the vast majority would only do so for what truly matters most—family, friends, knowledge, liberty, etc.
All of your core values together help build a picture of your “why”—tile by tile, you are crafting a mosaic. They provide the “what” of your why. Most, if not all, of the companies in our industry talk about a “why”—why are you devoting your time to building a business? The idea is to go beyond the surface benefits of the chance to earn an income and identify the underlying value that such an income will support or make possible.
Max International gives deeper substance and structure to a why by helping you identify the core values that comprise it. Core Values of “I am financially independent” and “I am a devoted and loving husband and father” can obviously work together to produce a powerful why that will propel you to success with Max. As you routinely review your core values, you can keep the foundation of your why at the forefront of your activity. In this sense, the means justify—or, more precisely, clarify—the ends.
If you have developed your core values, be sure you are taking time every week to review and, if necessary, revise them, and don’t lose sight of them. If you haven’t developed your core values, it’s time to get started! Go to the “Your Max Business Plan” section of the Max Living System Guidebook and take the first steps on what will be an illuminating journey.
To your success!
Training Message: Core Values–The What of Your Why is a post from: