How to Create the Core Values that Guide Your Decisions

This has been a dark week in America.

The bad news out of Las Vegas has added complexity and chaos to your already busy life.

The world was already full of enough distractions, but this made it even easier to get lost in the dark rabbit hole of the news. You might also have found yourself wasting hours in debates on social media, too. But for what? How did any of this serve your life’s legacy?

The harsh truth is that it didn’t. This drama, as terrible a tragedy as it was, only distracted you from the work and people that really mattered in your life.

So you’re probably thinking: “Craig, how the heck do you stay focused in the world of dark distractions and overwhelming opportunity?”

The answer is to know your values in life and what really matters to you.

You see, your VALUES drive everything …

They dictate what you eat, how much you sleep, how much TV you watch, how you conduct business, how you spend your free time, and what you allow to occupy your mind.

When you have clearly and concisely articulated your values, then you can draw upon them to say YES to what matters and to cut what doesn’t matter from your schedule.

If you want to do GREAT things, you have to do FEWER things.

Let me say that again so you can write that down.

If you want to do GREAT things, you have to do FEWER things.

We’re going to do a little exercise together. You’re even getting a little handout (click to download) and some homework to do after you’re done reading.

You’ll see a question at the top of the page and underneath it are my answers to the question. My answers are there to guide you. They are not meant to influence you or suggest that you copy them, but they are there so that you’ll see the values that guide my life. And that helps you understand why I make the decisions I make.

The million-dollar question at the top of the page reads:

What are the greatest accomplishments you want to achieve in the next 20 years for each of your top values in life?

Then you see my answers to this question for what I have labeled as the four top values in everyone’s life.

Value #1 – Family

For me, my greatest family value goal is to find my beautiful wife and have two or more amazing children.

Now if you read that fast it might look like it says I want to have two or more wives. That is not the case. One will be enough!

As you can imagine, with this as my goal for my #1 value in life, it dictates almost every decision I make—I travel less for business and I work less.

Value #2 – Health

I want to feel like I’m 17 forever, as I do today at age 42. This drives what I eat, how much I sleep, and my commitment to daily movement.

Value #3 – Wealth

I’m aiming to add so much value to the world that I build a $10 million net worth. That will give me and my family the financial freedom for a great life, as well as the ability to donate significant amounts of money to the three causes most important to me: Shriners Hospital, Toys for Tots, and my local hospital in Stratford, Ontario.

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SUGGESTED READING: The Freedom of NOT Chasing the American Dream

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Value #4 – Experiences

I’m a lucky man—I have experienced many bucket list-style items. I no longer care about those. Instead, what matters to me (aside from family experiences) is writing 3 more books that have as big an impact as—or bigger than—my book, “The Perfect Day Formula.”

Those are my values. You can see how they clearly dictate what I should do with my time. I can judge the opportunities that come my way with a clear yardstick.

Does a bachelor party trip for a friend fit into my schedule based on my values? No, I’m sorry. It doesn’t.

Does filming a new set of exercise DVDs for my old fitness business fit in? No. Someone else can do that.

My clear and concise values dictate that I construct my day around my writing, my health, and family time.

Once you write down your values, then your daily schedule will become much clearer to you.

You’ll also give yourself permission to say NO without hesitation or guilt.

That’s one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself in life.

Because remember…

If you want to do GREAT things, you have to do FEWER things.

You must know your values and vision so they drive all of your decisions in life.

If this was helpful, but you need more help constructing your vision and identifying what really matters to you, then I would love to see you at my Perfect Life Retreat event in San Diego on November 9-10th.

You can learn more about the big event at PerfectLifeRetreat.com.