Don't Lead Your Life By Whim

Creating your life philosophy is a dynamic process

An enduring philosophy isn’t defined by a shiny plaque on the wall or a two-day, off-site retreat with your team (although these things can certainly be helpful tools). A philosophy has to exist in your DNA, as a living, breathing thing. And even though it’s alive, you should never let it grow old. At my law firm, we work hard to make sure our values and philosophies always feel fresh, even though they were developed years ago. If you’re going to live by them, you’ve got to keep them alive. They must always feel relevant; never outdated or stale. Once you’ve developed a set of core principles, don’t get lazy. Decide to keep them alive. Don’t get tripped up into thinking that once you’ve created these principles, the process is over. Far from it. Things are just beginning.
 

And here’s even more good news: If you do it right, the process never, ever ends.

I’ll say it again: Building a set of core values is no easy feat. That doesn’t mean that you can’t do it; it just means that it’s going to take effort—and nobody’s going to do it for you. You are the one to decide and determine your own trajectory and your own set of principles. In the same way that you are the author of your own story, you are also the creator of your own core values. Nobody else can create them for you.

Let me put it like this: Be brave enough to think deeply and deliberately. Don’t fall into the trap of responding to life passively, reacting to situations as they unfold. Living like this is stressful and frightening. Again, it is exhausting. Resist the urge. Average people respond to situations based solely on the emotions they happen to be experiencing at the moment without taking time to think things through in advance. Be more purposeful than that. Take the time to take the time. It works. Here’s an example: As a soccer referee, I spend a lot of time anticipating how other people might respond to the decisions I make and the actions I take when I’m out on the field. While I don’t have the time or the desire to try to control their actions, I am interested in being thoughtful and deliberate if a stressful situation should come up. (And believe me, somebody is always going to be dissatisfied with a soccer referee’s decisions. Somebody’s always going to find fault with one of my calls. It’s the nature of the job.)

But I find that when I think things through in advance, when I try to anticipate my reaction to events before they unfold, it really helps to slow my brain down. This gives me time to map out a strategy in advance, so that when something does go down (on the soccer field or off) I’m able to rise above my own emotions and come at the situation from a place of reason and, yep, relative calm. If I lived my life by whim, none of that would be possible.

Okay, so you already know that your business life consumes a huge part of your daily existence. It is the source of your financial security and the primary means of providing for and protecting your highest priority; your family. So why wouldn’t you want to make this overall experience the very best that it can be? Why wouldn’t you do everything in your power to make sure that these practices and principles create a strong enough foundation to guide every business decision you make? This is important stuff. Decide to make it your top priority. No excuses.

Ben Glass, author of Play Left Fullback, is the father of nine children, four of whom are adopted from China. He is an avid youth soccer referee, an entrepreneur, and one of the world's leading experts on marketing and operating a boutique law practice. Through his attorney success organization, Great Legal Marketing, Ben has taught hundreds of solo and small firm lawyers how to market ethically and effectively using education-based, direct response style marketing. Ben continues to practice law at his own personal injury, medical malpractice, and long-term disability firm near Washington, D.C.  Visit www.benglasslaw.com Connect Ben Glass Follow @BenGlassLaw