NickVenturella.com 5-14-23 - Vision and Values

First off: Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there! 

Secondly:  a shout out to our latest subscriber:  Haylee. Thank you for being here!

————

Gain, retain, shed

Sometimes we need to acquire things, people, skills in our lives to progress towards our goals. Recognizing this is usually the hard part.

Sometimes we need to ensure we retain things, people, skills, and even double down on them for our own success. Recognizing this is usually the hard part.

Sometimes we need to shed things, situations, and in some cases even people that are no longer helping to serve our best interests.  Recognizing this is usually the hard part.

So how do you know when or what you need to gain, retain, or shed?

Well, I don’t have a clear cut answer for you on this one, but it does involve first having identified what you value and understanding your own personal vision of how you want your life to eventually look. These things can help provide direction when "gain, retain, shed" crossroads present themselves.

Value:

To understand what you personally value, take inventory of what you care about in your life. Perhaps you can start by identifying at least three things from your life that you feel a strong, unwavering affinity to. These are ideas or concepts that if someone asked you to make a choice one way or another about you just wouldn’t budge on your stance.

For example:

I value family first, so if the things I do don’t help serve my family, then it likely needs to be considered for the “shed” bucket of my life. (Also, as a note, I'm part of my family, so activities considered here, must also serve my own interests/needs in order to work -- not just sacrificing myself for the rest, it's a holistic approach.) 

A strong work ethic is something else I value for myself and others. To me, being able to positively answer the following question is what’s involved in a good, strong work ethic:  do I and others in my life consistently show up and do what they say they’re going to do; follow the rules and think beyond themselves even when no one is watching?

I also value what I call “ownership.” This is largely about being responsible, and taking ownership over the actions and work you involve yourself in throughout life. If someone takes ownership in their life they are responsible for the good, bad, and ugly they’ve created or participated in — they know it and own it, for good or bad. 

Personal vision is more about direction and where you ideally want to be in a future state guided by your values.

This is where design thinking can be really useful to map out where you’d like to see yourself in an ideal future state. (See the recommended book at the end of this email for that purpose.)

However, to get you started thinking about what your personal vision might be, think about the “magic wand” exercise.Suspend your disbelief for a moment and ask yourself, “If I had a magic wand that could magically make whatever I want become a reality, and I could create the life I want, what would that life look like?”Then the idea is to work backwards from that ideal state to examine the details and realistic ways you can actually achieve your vision, or at least something close to it.

For me that involves, more time for myself and my family, work I enjoy that provides abundantly for my family, and as much physical health as my family and I are able to achieve.I'm always interested to know what your vision and values are...hit reply and let me know.

--------------------------------------------------Updates----------upcoming Madison, WI-area live music performancesMore shows are in the works, stay tuned.Lone Girl Brewing CompanyWaunakee, WISun. July 16, 20233 - 5pm---Schuster's FarmDeerfield, WIFri. July 28, 20236 - 8pm----------Want to get some of the books I've read and recommend?Check out the Knowledge page on my website----------

Stay positive. Stay healthy. Be kind.Sincerely,Nick VenturellaStrategic/Creative ProfessionalNickVenturella.com