This is the question that we have to answer before we get started. The foundation is what we build on, correct? If we’re going to build a tent, we don’t need a sturdy, deep foundation. However, if we’re going to build a huge skyscraper, then we need a foundation that is deep, solid and capable of holding up everything above it.
In Goal-Setting, that foundation is our Values. Values really are something everyone has. They’re simply the things we hold most dear. The ideas, principles, concepts and people that we love the most. They are what we would fight for and die for if necessary. Our Values are what drive us, even when we think we’re not living up to them, we are. We just change the order of priority. For instance, if Health is a Value, then we always eat right and exercise regularly, right? Well of course we do. But didn’t we just have that big greasy burger at dinner last night? Or maybe we drink a lot of sugary drinks? Maybe we skip more exercise than we do?
You can still have Health as a top Value, yet still do those things at times. Overall maybe we do eat right and exercise regularly, but sometimes we also let our Pleasure Value override the Health Value. It’s pleasurable to eat that burger, have an ice cream or a soft drink or maybe a beer. Sometimes it’s not so pleasurable to have the salad or get up at 5:30 am to exercise. We all make these trade-offs in our lives. It’s normal. That doesn’t mean that we can do it all the time and still say our Health is a top Value though.
If we do those bad things all the time, or at least quite a lot, our actions will give lie to the words. We can see by what we do and say what we really Value the most. We can say we put family first, but is that true if we’re always working and not spending time with them? Obviously I don’t mean those times when we have to really work hard to get something done, start a business or get a new project off the ground. Those should be the exceptions, not the norm.
We can say that we’re not materialistic; but if we keep buying bigger, newer, pricier toys when we don’t need them, are we really not concerned with acquiring more stuff? Do we put money, power and influence above service to others while at the same time say we want to help our fellow man? Some things we have as Values can produce results that will allow us to be better people, if we use those results wisely. People can use money to do great things. People can use power and influence to bring change to their communities. But it’s not guaranteed that they will.
What we say we Value should be visible in how we go about our lives. We should be able to tell what someone’s Values are by observing their daily routine for a month. What we truly Value will come out in the end, even if we’re trying to show something else. We can’t hide that truth forever.
Values will shape what we say and do. Values will shape what we desire to do and have. Values will shape the kind of person we are and will become in the future. That’s why Values are the foundation for Goal-Setting. Good Goals require good Values. Goals that you truly can achieve need to be in alignment with those Values. You can’t lay one foundation and then build only 60% of your building on that foundation. What’s the other 40% resting on? It will undermine the whole structure.
Build your foundation wisely.
