Trim-Tab #4: Increase Your Values
One Man's Story of Self-Trust and How the World Provides

by Alan Steinborn

For several months a young man I know had been living at his mother's house.

By last Saturday he could stand it no longer.

By Saturday, his face was puffed, his eyes were blood
red surrounded by ever darkening rings.

His mom is an insomniac. He is ultra-sensitive. She would wake at
all hours of the night and when she would wake, even though they slept at
opposite ends of the house, he would wake up too.

He had a problem.

On one hand, the rent at his mom's house was, well, free, and she was paying for the food too.

He was scared to make a move. He didn't have much money.

By Saturday, it seemed his life was slipping away from him.

He made the leap of faith.

He determined he wouldn't "sleep" at that house another night.

He didn't know where he was going to end up.

By Saturday it didn't matter.

At 2:30pm the next day he had no idea where he would sleep that night.

He had not even given it a thought. He had faith things would work out.

Then the miracle happened.

He saw, walking down a street near his office, a man who he had just met.

He stopped; they exchanged greetings.

As they were about to say good-bye, the young man spontaneously asked
if the man had an extra room at his house.

The man did.

It turned out the young man could rent that room, and very reasonably.

He is sleeping well these days.

What does this have to do with you?

The young man had learned that his value (a good night sleep) was more important than the comfort of free rent and food!

My friend and mentor, Dan Morman, says that when you act from your values rather
than the need to be comfortable and in control, the world magically moves to support
you, the more you get done, the more effective you are, the more people want to do
business with you, and most important, the more satisfied you are with yourself.

There are several advantages to discovering, holding and acting from our values:

• You enjoy a powerful passion for life
  
  
• You worry less about the outcome of actions;
  focusing more on the lessons those outcomes offer.
  
  
• When you stand for what is important for you, you meet people who stand for the same values. This makes relationships a lot more satisfying.
  
  
• The world conspires to help you accomplish your objectives. You meet people who want to help you at just the right time.

Think about it this way:

Who would you put your trust in for what is really important to you?

If you are like me, you put your trust in people who consistently act from their values.
Not only because you can trust them more, but also because they tend to be way more interesting to be around! Way more inspiring!

From a business perspective, consumers gravitate toward providers who give good service even when it is not the companies most convenient or cost effective option in the short run. Such people and companies hold their values for the sake of the values themselves. They have integrity.

I asked the young man what the moral of the story was.

His answer was immediate and clear.

"Cut the apron strings! Choose life over your ideas of
safety and personal comfort and life will choose you!"

Increase your Values Exercise

Here is a simple 4 step exercise to put you on track with your values.

1. Make a list of your 3 most essential values.
   
   
2. Rate yourself as to how you are living your values on a scale of 1-10, '1' being I am totally out of integrity with that value and '10' being I would do nothing to compromise this value.
   
   
3. Ask yourself what specific actions you can take to raise your rating.
   
   
4. Take those actions.

If you want to gain a new level of fearlessness and life mastery, I offer training and coaching programs that help you achieve success and satisfaction in your work and life as a whole.

Feel free to contact me at 512/306-9446 or alan@speaknow.biz.

Yours in Presence,

Alan Steinborn

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Alan Steinborn, All Rights Reserved, 2003, 2004