What Do You Stand For?

“Conviction” is a word best described as “what you stand for” in your life. We all have them, and they drive our behaviors in all our relationships and in how we spend our time and money. Have you ever given some thought to what your driving convictions are?

Here’s an exercise to do. Ask yourself what motivates you to take action at work to solve a problem, or how you use your discretionary time, or what really gets you irritated when it is NOT happening around you. That most likely is a conviction that has become bedrock in your life.

After that, try to describe it with one sentence, and make it a personal sentence that starts with “I”. Then, show evidence of that conviction by writing down 5 behaviors along that theme. Sometimes people do this from another angle: start with the motivating behaviors first, find patterns, and then label it as the conviction.

My example might be helpful:

Conviction: Improvement/Maximizing

Descriptor: I desire to take everything I’m associated with to the next level of excellence, adding more value.

5 behaviors that best reflect it:

1. Staying alert to all facets of my organization and immediately thinking of positive changes to bolster it
2. Keeping a personal self-improvement plan current and expanding
3. Helping those I coach take their lives/roles to the next level through resourcing them
4. Thinking creatively about how to freshen up a rut
5. Expanding outputs of what I learn as broadly as possible

Now, live your life in alignment with your convictions to bring out your best self! It’s your sweetest spot!