Being an entrepreneur has given me an incredible amount of freedom and allowed me to pursue a path of fulfillment. The past few months have been amazing for the reasons in the previous sentence and also challenging because of the range of emotions that come along with running a business. The peaks are higher, the valleys are lower and the oscillation between the two seem more frequent than ever before. With that being said, things have been going really well for me and this isn’t a cray for help; in fact, it’s the opposite. This blog is about the growing awareness that I’ve been developing as it pertains to operating with intention and purpose. Thank you in advance for reading and I hope that you enjoy!
Disclaimer: the principles discussed below are mine and in no way am I suggesting that yours should be the same – I’m just sharing my thought process in the hopes of sparking yours.
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I’m learning that feelings can be volatile but principles can be stable. For the purpose of this discussion let’s define principles as a set of truths/beliefs that serve as the foundation for a system of operation/living. I feel more convicted than ever that I need to operate both my business and my life from a place of principle rather than feeling because the former is intentional and stable when compared to the latter which is subject to change quick based on circumstances.
With that being said, the rest of this blog details the principles from which I strive to operate and I hope that it’ll inspire you to put thought into the principles that guide your actions as well.
Give > Get
For me, it’s always better to give because you never know what someone else is going through. If we can make sure that other people are taken care of, we will always be taken care of as well. If you’d like to read more about this perspective as it relates to the healthcare profession, you can do so here.
Respond > React
For me, reacting happens without intention. That’s the difference that is so important – we should strive to respond to our circumstances with intention rather than react based on feelings. If you want to see a two minute video framing my response to adversity (loss of sight), you can do so here.
Get To > Have To
For me, gratitude is imperative because everything is beautiful in the right light. Nothing is guaranteed and for that reason, everything is a blessing. This moment is all that we have and that fact alone is something to be grateful for. If you’d like to read more about gratitude, you can do so here.
Faith > Doubt
For me, it’s easy to doubt things and it can be hard to trust. However, faith allows us to live life from a place of hope and that is powerful within itself (and for me rooted in the last principle). If you’d like to read more about what faith looks like for me (and see my favorite quote), you can do so here.
Effort > Excuses
For me, there is always a decision to be made between these two extremes. The more often that we can choose effort over excuses, the further we can push the ball forward and the more we can grow. This topic is one worth diving deeper into for most people and if you’d like to read more, you can do so here.
Consistency > Intensity
For me, being consistent is as close to a super power as it gets. We become what we do on a consistent basis and consistency compounds. for those reasons, consistency always beats intensity in the long term. I feel very strongly about this point and I’d love to have you read more – you can do so here and here.
Doing > Hoping
For me, hope is important but not in the place of action. Too often people get caught up in ambition at the expense of action. This one is about talking less and doing more (side note: taking action is a form of faith because it implies that we believe in an outcome that we can’t see). If you’d like to drive home this point and to read more, you can do so here.
Hard > Easy
For me, the easy road is the worst road because it’s only through struggle that we can find strength. Just like resistance in the gym builds muscle, resistance in life builds resilience. Do hard things and read more here and here.
Inside > Outside
For me, the environment is everything because it shapes who we are. However, it’s imperative that we determine who we want to be and then create our environment from the inside-out, not the outside-in. If you’d like to read and learn more about living from the inside-out, you can do so here.
Important > Urgent
For me, this is a hard balance because each “thing” in our lives is comprised of both. However, what I’ve learned is that important things always matter more when all else is equal. To get a good idea of how little things can be very important (and even save a life), you can do so here.
Moments > Minutes
For me, minutes are a measure of time while moments are a measure of life. Unlike minutes, moments require presence and that’s the kind of life that I’m after. If you’re looking to read a great book on what it looks like to create special moments, you can do so here.
Light > Dark
For me, this one doesn’t need much explaining but I’ll add in an excerpt from a conversation with Nick Bare who explained that when you’re in the dark and someone shines a light, people will either follow it or attempt to dim it. Shine bright. If you’re looking for an incredible conversation touching on this, listen to it here.
People > Productivity
For me, investing into people can be hard at times because I have a propensity for productivity and loving people well often doesn’t feel “productive” in the way that we often think about it. People are always more important and relationships, even though they can be messy are the most important investment we can make. If you want to read a great blog about investing in people, you can do so here.
Vision > Sight
For me, sight is what we see with our eyes open and vision is what we see with our eyes closed. I’ve written about this before, but as I’ve lost sight, I’ve gained vision and I appreciate the difference between the two. Even if you’re not going blind, sight is limited, vision is not. If you’d like to hear more about this perspective, you can do so here.
Love > Hate
For me, love is something that I strive to give always and to everyone. It can be easy to dislike (“hate”) things that are different, frustrating or challenging, but love is so much better. As Bob Goff says, love everybody always (read here).
Jesus > Everything
For me, this last point is the most important point. I haven’t always had this perspective but the last four years have changed the way that I’ll see the world forever. This point might not be for everyone at this moment, but it’s the foundation from which I operate and all of the other points build off of (hence, it’s at the bottom). If you’re interested in hearing more about how I came to faith in Jesus, this is a good overview (here).
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Thank you for taking the time to read this blog and hear my thoughts. I hope that it was helpful to you on your path toward optimizing your life and realizing your full potential. Like usual, I want to end this one with a quote…
“Sometimes I want to ask God why He allows poverty, famine, and injustice when He could do something about it, but I’m afraid he might just ask me the same question.”
Abdu’l-Baha
Choose principles over feelings.
Joe Rinaldi
IG: @joearinaldi
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