There is an article called “Six Ways to Become a Wise Leader” by Prasad Kaipa and Navi Radjou (good advice) and it reminded me of so many books, articles and blogs that begin with a numerical list. The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People was a highly popular book with over 10 million sold. There is a more ancient text called “The Ten Commandments.” Why is it that the “top ten” or the “sweet sixteen” “elite eight” and “final four” carry so much attraction? Or do they? Who has the time, interest or inclination to review “the top 100 songs?” There is a list of the top tens that has about everything you can think of from the top ten cars to the top ten tips for staying safe online. You can find the lists here: http://www.the-top-tens.com/ Ten seems to be the preferred number when creating lists. It’s the number of digits in most telephone numbers including the area code. Maybe it’s what the mind can grasp and hold onto.
It could be a revealing exercise to have to decide what is most important, according to our own values and beliefs and understand why one item is more important than another. What if we were to condense the top ten into the top three? What we discard may say as much as what we keep. I am facing that exercise in the coming weeks as I try to eliminate some stuff, especially clothes and personal belongings, in order to reduce what I perceive as excess. Why keep this piece and why get rid of that one? Shouldn’t be too hard if one is in the frame of mind to eliminate. After all, it’s just stuff, not all that important in the scheme of things. A number of us tend to accumulate without balancing accumulation with expulsion. I’m going to work on the eliminate side of the equation.
Beyond possessions and material objects, how would you go about creating that list of the top ten most important values in your life? What is that which you hold most precious, most valuable and of greatest worth? There are a number of values exercises which can help do this. Brene Brown has a great list and if you were to pick your top ten from her list, you will find out how hard that is. Imagine getting to the top three, As we move through this Spring, a time for growth and new life in our natural surroundings, at least in the northern hemisphere, we will have numerous opportunities to examine why, how and where we want to invest our time, energy and resources. In the southern hemisphere, with Autumn coming on, think of the leaves falling to get ready for new ones later on. For now, I need to plan, sort, decide; plan, sort, decide and move on. It’s all a process of unfolding, evolving, engaging and celebrating.
I think you hit on it when you said we have opportunities to examine why and how we spend our time. Personally, that’s my favorite exercise to uncover values. Looking at a list rarely gets to the heart. Of course, looking at a list, we would all agree that we value this or that, freedom or family, or maybe honesty or loyalty. However, it’s our living, and our choices that uncover our values. You know where to look? Our stories. A story where you were totally frustrated. (What value was getting stomped on?) Another great place to look is at a peak moment in your life. What makes is stand out?
As always, stopping here is time well spent. Thank you!
Thanks for stopping by. You have a perspective that reveals why you are a good coach. Love your questions too. You also have a way of looking beyond the obvious and taking people to a place they may not have considered previously. Like where we spend our time reveals our values, so does where we spend our money. I can tell as much about someone from their checkbook or credit card as I can by listening to them.