If You Are The Clay, Then Your Values Are The Sculptors: They Shape Who You Are And How Successful You Become!

Is it a requirement that you be a good person to be successful? I suppose not but that also depends on your definition of what it means to be successful. Most people think of success in only the sense of making a lot of money. I personally feel that money is a by-product of success, rather than something that defines it.

Success, in a nutshell, having your act together in all walks of life. It means having a solid personal life in which you positively impact people around you. It means having professional pursuits that are rewarding and fulfilling. What ties these two parts of your life more so than anything else? The answer lies in your core values.

Core values are our internal conscience and reflect both the way we were brought up and simply how we view our place in the world. Examples of core values would include honesty, caring about the well-being of others, solid work ethic, and appreciation that your actions reflect on who you are.

It’s importance to address a couple of prevailing opinions that affect the discussion of values, as they relate to success. First, there’s the image of the arrogant but rich individual who treats those around them terribly. It could be falsely construed that success is not based upon being a good person by viewing a person like this.

Just remember, being successful and being rich aren’t necessarily the same thing. When the day is done, money is nice and having satisfaction that you are an important contributor to society are two different things. Instead of asking yourself, ‘How much money do I have?’, ask instead, ‘How many lives have my successful lifestyle affected?’ You can positively impact the world and still have money because your values are guiding you down the road of life!

Another common misconception is that nice people finish last. I don’t think that could be further from the truth. First of all, many successful people have great core values and are just great people. Second, just because you’re a great person doesn’t mean that success is just going to fall into your lap! You still have to work for it and do the right things to make success happen. Great core values may just accelerate the process, once you are heading down the road towards success.

In conclusion, your core values reflect who you are. Your pursuit of success should build upon your values almost exclusively. Pursuits that stray away from your values are going to meet greater challenges because they go against the grain of who you are as a person. When you remain true to who you are, you must still strive for success but it will be more rewarding when you achieve it!