PRINCIPLES... They Drive EVERYTHING!

Now that you have engaged your thoughts about defining your Purpose and discovering your Passions, the third element to living the "ultimate life" is to decide what Principles are you going to live by.  The dictionary defines Principles as:  a fundamental, primary, or general law or truth from which others are derived, a fundamental doctrine or tenet, a personal or specific basis of conduct or management, or a guiding sense of the requirements and obligations of right conduct.

The key words in the definition are truth, personal, conduct, guiding, requirements and right conduct.

You see, your principles are what guide your conduct, your heart, and your beliefs which speak to your character and integrity.  Principles are the road map of how you will go about accomplishing anything in your life.  They will determine the types of people you will surround yourself with, the type of actions you will take, and how you make key decisions.

When people look at you, what kind of Principles do they see in you?  When you are walking towards people in your company, what are they thinking about you as you approach?  How do you make people feel as you approach without saying anything?

Your Principles people see in you, drive what they think about you and how willing they are to help you.  If people do not think you are trust worthy, you will have a hard time finding people willing to help you.  If people see you as a user of people, you won't find people willing to step out on a limb for you.  If people don't see you as a hard worker, they will not be willing to jump on your team and work hard for you.

The key to Principles in your life is asking yourself:

- Who are my biggest influences in life?
- What do I believe in the areas of trust, truth, honesty, ethics, integrity, work ethic, friendships?
- What do I expect from other people?
- What are people's perceptions of me?
- Do my actions match up with my beliefs and what I say?
- Am I doing the right things when no one's watching?
- Who do I go to for advice when I'm in need of guidance?
- What books to I read do strengthen what I believe in life?

One of the the most comforting emotions in life is the "confidence" you have when someone says something and you can take what they say "to the bank" because their actions always match their words.  It breeds confidence in the workplace as a leader, in relationships as a mate, and especially in friendships.

I've seen one lie break 10-years of friendship.  I've seen people fired over dishonesty.  We have all seen marriages broken over mistrust.   Your Principles dictate how everything takes place in your life.  The question is....are your Principles aligned with your Purpose and Passions?

If you are running off course, in achieving your purpose, the first place to start is looking at the Principles that guide your life.  Look at your life purpose, your passion statement, and ask yourself... Is what I believe (My Principles), going to get me where I want to go?  If not, its time to rethink your Principles.

A Life PASSION Statement Can Mean Everything

Everyday, people wake up in a fog.  You could be one of them.  You go through life each day doing the same mundane tasks.  You get up...you go to work...you come home...you do chores around the house...you go to bed...you get up and repeat.  This mundane activity ultimately drives you crazy over time.  One day, you wake up years later and feel like you have wasted years of your life with no passionate energy that gives you LIFE.

One of the most amazing reasons I love working for an association is it is an open forum to make a difference in people's lives...to transform their being from going no where, to heading somewhere.   Associations are all about making a difference and transformation.  The question is, are you working in the association for the "one thing" you have a passion for?  Is it the disabled, needy children, helping war vets, or sports?  You name it, there is an association for anything and everything. 

I've been working in association management since February 20, 1995.  I remember it like it was yesterday, and everyday has been an incredible journey.  It hasn't come without its set of challenging moments, but when your purpose is in place and you are serving in your area of passion, challenges are always seen as opportunities, not obstacles.

If purpose gives you a direction, then passion is what defines you.   It's what gives you energy everyday because you are working or serving in an area that creates an emotional excitement in your life.

What you are passionate about is what causes you to take ACTION in life.  My questions to you are:

• What are you accomplishing with your life?  
• What gets your blood boiling?
• What do you care about?
• What people would you like to serve/help?
• What would you do if money was no object?
• What would get you excited everyday to get out of bed?
• Who would you help everyday of work for no pay because you loved it?
• What is your hobby?

Some of mine are:  I LOVE playing drums...it drives my emotional high.  I LOVE dancing to 70's and 80's music...it makes me feel good physically.  I LOVE speaking to groups of people on life and association management.  I LOVE seeing them write down action steps to help them transform their lives.  I love making videos that share stories of how associations are making a difference in people's lives.  ...bottom line, I LOVE PEOPLE and HELPING THEM achieve success.

If you like your job, but it's not exactly your passion, check out the local charitable organizations in your city and decide which one allows you to help those you feel most passionate about.  If you don't like your association, start panning the globe for the association that you pinch yourself everyday and say, "I can't believe I get paid to do this."

Make a commitment today to design your Life Passion Statement and live it out.  Someone out there needs your passion in their challenging life.

Tom's Life Purpose:  To engage people in conversation and network them with others to help them reach their maximum potential to live a deeper and rewarding life experience.

Tom's Life Passion:  Seeing people go from "I'm struggling", to "I LOVE my LIFE!"

Next week I will share about the 3rd "P"...life PRINCIPLES..

Achieving the Ultimate Life in Associations - The Power of "P"

Serving People on Mission Trips

Over the last year, there has been a lot of talk and blogging on how associations can be more human to take advantage of the human capital that exists in the workplace and industry.  While an association that taps into the human spirit of its people is the greatest possibility, a lot of associations do not have this quality.  The question is...what do you do as an individual while your organization is looking for that human spirit?  Lets face it, you spend the majority of your life at work and it needs to be a fun, exciting, and encouraging place to be.  Most people allow work to dictate the spirit of their life, both professionally and personally, because of the pressures of performing, a horrible boss/ supervisor, or just a bad work environment.

I'm hear to tell you it doesn't have to be that way for you as an individual.  You can be better than that.  You can rise above your circumstances to be so much more than what you are experiencing in the work place.  You can achieve the ultimate life if you put focus on a ten key areas I'm going to talk about over the course of the next several weeks.

I have found in my life that the letter "P" has more power words than any other letter, and can help you live the "ultimate life" if you choose to pay attention to them.  There are ten key words that can reshape your life at work and home...words that can begin to overflow from you into your other co-workers, where you begin to change the organization from the inside out.  No longer are you going to go home blaming your organization for your crappy day because it isn't a great place to work.  They will no longer have that kind of control over you because you are going to make a choice to be more than that...to see a vision for your life that allows you to experience the ultimate life everyday.

The first of these power words is PURPOSE.  The definition of PURPOSE is "the reason for which something is done or created, or for which something exists."  The key words here for you are "for which something exists."  My question for you is why do you exist each day?  The most successful and happiest people have figured this out.  They have a center focus on why they were created, why they exist and who they were created to serve.  The heat of a bad day at the office or a supervisor screaming at them doesn't get them down because their "purpose in life" is much bigger than that one moment that most likely will not mean anything one week later.

The People Lives I Impact

If you don't think PURPOSE is a big deal, then why do so many reach 40, 50, even 60 years of age and look back asking themselves after all that time, "What has my life meant?  Why was I put here?  Would it even matter if I disappeared?"

My PURPOSE is to engage in peoples lives, to help them progress forward towards purpose and away from pain.  I like helping people solve the pain in their life so they are free from the troubles that keep them from enjoying each day.  Don't be that person that lives most of your life without a life PURPOSE.  Define it on paper and live it out in reality.

So my challenge to you, is define your purpose is in life today.  Here are a few questions to contemplate as your PURPOSE:

• What brings the most meaning to your life? 
• What people or cause do you feel for and want to help?
• What life experiences have you had that has prepared you to serve?
• What gets you excited when you see the progress
• Where do you feel the most reward when its accomplished

Whatever it is, figure it out today.  It will change your life forever and make every day a great day no matter how un-human your association seems to be.  Stop blaming them.  Don't give them that control over your life.  Take control of your PURPOSE today.

Once you define your PURPOSE, nothing can shake your character, your emotions, or your strength.

Tom's Life Purpose:  To engage people in conversation and network them with other to help them reach their maximum potential to live a deeper and rewarding life experience.

Next week, I will blog about "P" #2....  Discovering your PASSION.