Make a Stand

“From now on, then, resolve to live as a grown-up who is making progress, and make whatever you think best a law that you never set aside. And whenever you encounter anything that is difficult or pleasurable, or highly or lowly regarded, remember that the contest is now: you are at the Olympic Games, you cannot wait any longer, and that your progress is wrecked or preserved by a single day and a single event.”
– Epictetus

Happy New Year, CFKI!  Here we are in 2019.  This year instead of making resolutions to get rid of a bad habit or eat more vegetables, I’m going to make a stand.  And I encourage you to join me.
My stand is the list of core values or principles that I will not back down from.  These will guide my decision-making, giving me guidance when tough choices come up.  There are lots of different ways that you could identify what you stand for; here are a couple that have worked well for me:
1. Review a list of common core values, and pick out the ones that resonate most with you.  List them out on paper, and if you have a list of more than five, try to whittle it down so that you’re left with a powerful list of 3-5 values.  You can check out a list online here, and a Google search will come up with several other similar sites.
2. Identify a few people that you respect and admire.  What is it specifically about them that you look up to?  Is it their love of their family, their joyful attitude, their toughness, their decisiveness?  For each person that you identified, make a list of 3-5 values that represent them.  Now look through that list – which of these would you like to be attributed to you?
Once you have identified the values that you are going to stand for, it’s time to look inside and make an honest assessment of where you are with each of them.  If “honesty” is one of your core values, do you always stand for the truth?  If you have been dishonest in the recent past, why?  What can you learn from that mistake so that you can make the best decision that aligns with your stand next time?
Finally, write down your stand in a journal, or the Notes app on your phone – some place where you can review it each day as part of your morning practice.  Remind yourself of your stand, and visualize yourself acting with integrity toward those values as you interact with your family, friends and coworkers, and as you make key decisions that will project you forward toward being a better version of yourself!
In case you’re wondering, my stand is for Self Improvement, Integrity, and a Never Quit attitude.  Thinking about these values gets me fired up to take on all the challenges that the new year will bring!  Feel free to share your stand with us – it might help us become better coaches for you!
Ryan

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