“Who am I?” It’s a question some people spend a lifetime trying to answer. Most people look for their identity in all the wrong places, leaving them empty and unfulfilled.
They obtain their self worth in their most recent performance and accolades from their peers. People who lack esteem and confidence often chase meaning and fulfillment using this misleading equation:
Great leaders know that their identity is not directly tied to their performance or the opinion, or worse the perceived opinion, of others, which can often be misguided or wrong. Instead, they focus on this equation to pursue their best in all areas of their life:
The key to using the equation above is stay focused on the principles and activities that will enable us to maximize our potential while utilizing thoughts and techniques that will minimize the distractions in our life, or at least our focus on them. Maximizing your potential involves operating in your strength zone and doing things that advance the ball toward your goals. Minimizing distractions requires you to have perspective and use techniques to diminish your focus on negative things, most of which you cannot control.
Great leaders know they must discover their identity in their core values, not their performance. They don’t let great performances falsely inflate who they are, remaining humble and grounded in their success. They also know that dismal performances will come, and they don’t let mistakes define who they are or impact their self-worth.
[shareable cite=”Mike Van Hoozer, The Invisible Hand of Leadership” text=”Discovering your identity in your core values is absolutely critical and fundamental to living a life of meaning and purpose”]Discovering your identity in your core values is absolutely critical and fundamental to living a life of meaning and purpose, thereby creating joy, inner peace, contentment, and fulfillment.[/shareable]
Discovering your identity in your core values is absolutely critical and fundamental to living a life of meaning and purpose, thereby creating joy, inner peace, contentment, and fulfillment. It ultimately leads to peak performances in your life! Values provide guidance, direction, meaning and purpose in life. By understanding and living in integrity with your values, you start to understand and answer the question of who you are.
This post is an excerpt from “The Invisible Hand of Leadership” Workbook. We have delivered this impactful leadership program to Fortune 50 companies, global consulting firms, small and medium size businesses, collegiate athletic programs and high schools, and non-profit organizations and churches. We also have a public offering of this workshop. Discover more about how you can bring this leadership program or others to your company, sports team, or organization. You may also be interested in our coaching services to help you discover your true identity, maximize your potential, and accomplish your goals in sports, business, and life.
[reminder]What provides the basis for your identity?[/reminder]