What Do You Stand For?

You stand for something. You have a core set of values and beliefs that drive how you treat others, how you try to make a difference in the world and how you treat yourself.

You may not have sat down and created a personal mission and vision statement but over time, based on the decisions that you have made in the good times and the bad, you have shown your colleagues, family and friends what you stand for. 

When times are good, it is sometimes hard to tell what you stand for. You have the luxury of time and resources that allow you to go the extra mile and do the extra thing without sacrificing what is important to you.

But if you want to know what you stand for, think back to the tough times and look at the trade-offs that you have made.

It is when you have to choose between what is important and what is really important that your true priorities become clear. Did you risk your job by pushing back for what you believed in? Did you sacrifice financially to ensure that your customer got what they really needed instead of what you wanted to sell? Did you give up your own precious time so that you could be there for a family member or friend?

No one is perfect and I have certainly made choices that looking back do not make me feel comfortable with what I stood for at that time.

If you want to be better, if you want to stand for something that is truly worthwhile, you need to recognize what it is that you stood for in the past and what your actions show that you stand for in the here and now.

If you know this, it gives you insight into the changes that you need to make to get you to where you want to go.  

In life, we are defined by the compromises that we make. So, what do you stand for?

Marc

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