Values-Based Living is about continually growing into the person you were born to be. Recently, I described VBL Coaching to a prospective client as the process of helping him discover who he is and drafting a plan to build his life around that. After talking to him about the components of the life plan we would develop, he asked me why his guidance counselor never taught him this process. I think a lot of us wonder the same thing. That is why I developed VBL, to let people know about the incredible power that comes from knowing yourself and aligning your choices and actions with who you are.
This young man had recently graduated from a university in Nashville and is now wondering where he goes from here. We talked briefly about how personal growth doesn’t “just happen” after a certain point in life. When we are young, we naturally grow physically, intellectually, emotionally, and socially. We make friends at school and other ready-made social places. After people graduate and finish their formal education, there is often this feeling of “What’s next?” when they realize no one is there to guide their development. I often hear the same thing from people who have been in the corporate world for a short time, but long enough to figure out that they can’t depend on HR to give them career direction. If you are asking yourself what is next for you, I have a simple exercise that may help.
The scariest statistic that I have encountered while helping people fulfill their potential is that after graduating high school or college, 50% of Americans never read another book. On the other hand, the average millionaire reads at least one non-fiction book a month. The simple truth is that leaders are readers. If you want to grow in your life, you have to invest in yourself by giving your mind new ideas and thought to ponder. Write down the areas of your life that you want to develop and the topics you want to know more about. Under each heading, write down at least three books that you want to read. For help on this, you can look at my Recommended Reading List for ideas. Amazon is a great source for building your reading lists as well. I encourage you to read widely and deeply in all areas of your life. The more you study the different areas of your life, the more power you can unleash in your quest for greatness. Remember that we live in a knowledge-based economy. If you allow your mind to atrophy for lack of new stimulation, you are destroying your ability to win.
If you are ready to develop a plan that will help you fulfill your potential by aligning your actions with who you are, you can schedule a coaching session with me today. In VBL Coaching, we will look at the seven key areas of your life and help you draft a plan to connect who you are to what you do. If you think that there is more to life that what you are currently experiencing, and want to know how VBL can help you, let me know.
