In order to gain clarity and focus in the decisions you make, it pays to review the most important things in life, to decide what you do well and what you don’t. When was the last time you sat down and asked yourself:
What does my ideal future look like?
What do I really want from life, my relationships and my career?
What plans and dreams am I working towards?
And finally…
What is stopping me from being happy and achieving in these areas?
Our lives and priorities are all different, however there are precious things in life that are pretty much universal. In today’s blog, our Founder Phil Allison answers the question: “What are the five most important things in life?”
We invite you to read on for his take on what these five most important things are, and it is our hope that they serve as a strong guiding force when structuring the life you want to create.
The Five Most Important Things in Life
1. Health
Health determines our ability to survive. Without it you cannot achieve in the next four things. It applies to us personally and our families, as well as in society and business. Quite simply, if we/they are not healthy then we/they will probably cease to exist—therefore we don’t have anything.
2. Integrity
Integrity involves living in a way that is consistent with our principles, values and our fundamental beliefs. It is about creating a reputation that others trust and once again, applies to ourselves, our families, society and business.
Why has health and integrity been rated above relationships and therefore family? Let’s think of it this way: as someone who probably considers family a vitally important part of your life, what impact does poor health and poor integrity have on them? Are you setting your family up for success if you don’t look after yourself first? If your health fails you or if your reputation is shot due to an absence of integrity, then what sort of burden/example are you setting for your children or your family? When we look at it this way, integrity is almost on a par with health; without it you also don’t have anything.
3. Relationships
Relationships encompass our families, friends, colleagues and acquaintances. It is our responsibility to build relationships that not only support us but also provide opportunities and allow us to support others—you can’t do everything on your own.
From a work perspective, it’s the relationships built by the culture you have in your organisation, it’s the relationships with your suppliers, your customers and your shareholders. Building strong relationships where you’re all moving forward together for everybody’s success is what really makes a difference.
4. Growth
Growth is one of the six human needs. We are programmed to grow from birth and although learning can slow down as we get older, it should never stop. We must continue to challenge ourselves to get better at whatever we focus on and have the passion to achieve. If we stop growing, we stagnate and then move backwards. Once again, it applies to us personally as well as our businesses.
5. Contribution
We are here to serve, whether that is with our family, our friends, our companies or society. We need to contribute to the growth of others. Without contribution, what is the point? If what we do does not make a difference, then why would we do it? It gives our lives and companies a purpose, a reason to exist.
In our video below, Phil expands on these five keys to living a fulfilled life, firstly in terms of how they relate to our goals on a personal level, followed by reflecting on the five most important things from a business point of view.
The five most important things is one of the areas we expand on in our Personal Mastery short course. This program is designed to help you understand the link between our thinking, our behaviour and our happiness. So if your focus is on accelerating your personal growth in 2019, enrol through this link here.
