On its face, it is a straightforward process. Identify who I am and what drives me, figure out my WHY, build a mission statement, and ride off into the sunset like John Wayne or those slow-motion action movie endings where the victorious team is strutting away while the world burns behind them. Boom. Done. “Living life a quarter mile at a time,” as Vin Diesel or my good friend Maggie would say.
I’m here to tell you this is difficult work. Clients regularly break down into tears during our initial values exercises. Don’t worry; they are good tears! They are breakthrough tears. They are the overwhelming emotions that come to the surface as someone’s eyes open for the first time.
If you’re keeping score at home: Working with people through this transformation and seeing its power is part of my WHY.
More than Money or Fame
For many, this is the first time they’ve examined these things. They might be thirty, forty, or fifty years into their life, and they’ve never really taken the time to discover what genuinely drives them. That might be you as well.
Fun Fact: Of all the people who apply to work with me one-on-one, approximately two percent have a Statement of Purpose or written values list when they arrive for the first time. In contrast, one hundred percent of their businesses have mission statements…hmm…
Whether you’re just starting on your entrepreneurial journey or are a few years into your business and we are developing a plan to scale or exit, your answer to the question has to be something that sustains you. Can you see yourself continuing to do what you’re doing now for five, ten, or even twenty years?
Fame and, yes, even making piles of money are both fleeting.
See you on the journey…
Rodric
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PPPS – The July 10th Workshop is over but I may just be opening up one more workshop in August. Keep on the lookout for more details.
