We have a happier life when we live by our Values and Principles. But what exactly do we mean by that? Isn’t good enough that I am an ethical person? Or do the two mean the same thing? Ethics are moral principles that govern a person’s behavior or the conducting of an activity while Principles are a fundamental truth or proposition that serves as the foundation for a system of belief or behavior or for a chain of reasoning.
A law abiding citizen can still struggle with personal moral issues, with ethical business issues, with interpersonal and relational issues that cause stress and provoke imbalances in their life. How to better stay centered and to avoid imbalances that cause us loss and emotional injury? Forward thinking people seek to maintain a balance in the different areas of their life but in reality they really seek to avoid imbalances; and that requires obedience. To be obedient, you must organize and execute around your principles, not your emotions.
A principle is an anchor, it is an enduring truth you can adopt that helps you in making decisions. Generally, principles are not spelled out in detail as in a law or a rule, so that leaves you free to adapt and find your way with an enduring truth. The minute you give up your principles, your character becomes questionable and your ability to influence leaves. From that moment on, you have nothing to offer The foundation to a principle is always the TRUTH about that matter, and upon a truth anything positive and sustaining can be built. Let’s look at a mathematical formulas referred to as the 95/5 Principle and the 80/20 Pareto Principle.
The 95/5 Principle
- 5% of people will give you 95% of your problems, so avoid that 5%
- 95% of your success and happiness will come from 5% of everything you do
- 95% of your decisions can be wrong and you can still benefit from thoroughly developing the 5% you make that are right
- Only 5% of the things we worry about occurring ever occur
- Only 5% of successful people act upon a solution to a problem when presented with it. 95% don’t act at all.
The 80/20 Principle or Pareto Principle:
- 80% of profits come from 20% of people
- 80% of profits are from 20 % of activities
- 80% of your people problems are from 20% of your people
- 80% of the data you get from others will be inaccurate
- More than 80% of the typical person’s time is wasted
To become who you need to become so you can achieve your mission, focus on the time proven principles of honesty, humility, obedience, self-discipline, self-control, delayed gratification, courage, compassion, and intellectual, moral, and spiritual integrity, compassion, selfless service, hard work, sacrifice and so forth. In closing this topic I wish for all my readers to embrace Honesty. Honest people are congruent in values, principles, words, and actions. To be honest you must:
- Know the truth
- Tell the truth
- Live the truth
- Take the heat
- Stay the course
Yours in Real Life, docMIKE
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