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Approaching a lone crossroad. A decision to be made. A simple question with complex fallout. Handling a company and struggling financially. You have the opportunity to make a significant amount of money.
Enough to help you pay off debts and make the company profitable. However, the customer doesn’t need your services. They would be paying you for something they don’t need. A god-send of chance.
Do you make the sale to live to fight another day? Or do you tell them the truth and let them walk away?
The question may appear simple. It isn’t precisely the trolley problem. A fictional scenario. A thought experiment.
The trolley problem involves An onlooker who has the choice to save 5 people. They will be crushed by a trolley. One person will die by saving the 5 people by switching the trolley tracks.
Diverse situations. In the first one, you will suffer. The customer wouldn’t suffer. They have plenty of money. Does this change your answer?
Would it change your answer if they were desperate for the money? They had a belief they needed your service. The service was vital.
For many, no matter the extra options, the choice is clear. It is simple to think you’d take one action in the calm of your home. It gets more difficult when you are living in the situation.
It is entirely dissimilar from being in the situation. Need to feed kids, pay bills, and the like.
Therefore, having values is essential. It makes each decisions simple. Follow your values.
In times of vast stress, follow your values.
If you value honesty, the choice is made. If you value financial success, the choice is made.
While this is an extreme example, there are smaller ones. Those little decisions we make daily. Some require thought, and others are simple.
You may find yourself confused. Most importantly, you may confuse your potential audience.
When you operate consistently, people can understand who you are. If they like you, they are likely to utilize you.
If not, they can leave. If you are confused, the audience may lack the comfort to build a relationship.
Our values are GPS during the more difficult times of our business and work lives. When faced with challenging problems, you can weigh them against your values.
You can weigh a potential new job against your values. Does the company embody your values?
How do you set your values?
Figure Out What’s Significant
Finding your value isn’t unlike Finding Nemo, the movie with the fish. You start the movie with a belief. Going through a challenging situation evolves the belief. The characters learn more and change their values. In the end, figuring out what they value most.
Then they live a much happier life.
They traveled through the fire to find out what was necessary.
You don’t have to put yourself through intense trials. Instead, think about what you find essential to you.
Start listing what you find essential. The list may get long. If you have more than three to five, eliminate the rest. Prioritize the top five and organize from first to third or fifth.
Then write down what each value means to you. Your behavior. How do you approach situations? What do these values indicate?
How Do These Values Fit Your Life
Do you currently live these values? Can you apply them to your current life? In what areas?
Think about those values and the ways you could implement them in everything you do.
If your value is quality. It could imply ensuring a quality product. A quality service. Going above and beyond. Or it could suggest spending quality time with loved ones.
Being present in the moment.
If so, are there ways you can improve?
If not, how can you bring these values into your business, your career, or your personal life?
Additionally, you can use these values to help find yourself a team.
Everyone Evolves
People change. Simply because you have set these values doesn’t indicate they won’t change.
You may value independence the most. Then later, find your life has changed, and you value security more.
Make sure you revisit your values at a regular interval. See how your life has changed. Re-rank the values. Retake stock of your life.
Has anything changed? It is okay if it does. We operate our lives on the experiences and knowledge we have at the time. As we gain knowledge and experience, we can change our beliefs.
What’s Next?
Values are the cornerstone of successful lives. They make life easier. Simplify difficult decisions. Decisions may not be clear to make in the heat of the moment.
It guides your company and who you hire. Determines how you operate and behave.
To determine values, figure out what is the most crucial to you? What do you value most? From there, you can get an idea of where to focus your attention.
Once you have a few values to focus on, determine where they fit in your life. Are you applying them? Can you apply them? And how?
Keep in mind everyone changes. Your life won’t stay the same. As you develop, you should be recalibrating your values. Do they still apply?
You don’t want to make crucial decisions based on outdated values.
Values are powerful. Focus on values and determine yours. Keep evaluating them.
I value sharing knowledge to help others. I hope you found value here.