My values / manifesto developed over time. I have them written down.

1.Sincerity – Say what I mean, mean what I say or say nothing.

2. Acceptance – Accept peoples differences, embrace their strengths. Be Big. Do it. Live it. Avoid stupid arguments. no ever changes. or hardly ever.

3. Humanity – Kindness, Compassion, Integrity at all times – especially under pressure!

A quick note – I was sick for 10 years – these three qualities in some of the people around me made all the difference.

4. Exercise Leadership – Sincerity, Clarity, Execution – Be the CEO of my life not just a business. It’s a practice not a title. Be the best at being the best ‘me’.

5. Be Fearless – do the right thing. Be expressed. Exercise Judgment. Fear no one and especially not the little things i.e. making a call, a speech, being embarrassed, looking foolish. These are more crippling that say fear of tigers or sharks or aliens whatever – things that are unlikely ever going to be a factor.

6. Ownership – Take action, use my initiative, be pro-active. Focus on solutions. Take responsibility. No dream left behind. Do what i can to be fully expressed.

Note: I have found that Happiness is a pointless objective in life. Saying I wanted to be happy was just vague and never helped me at all. it inspired dumb activities like trying to quantify what happiness is. I think one definition of happiness is fluid depending on what your reality is at any given point in your life.

When i got out of hospital after a transplant, nearly dying, of major complications my definition of happiness was being able to sit in the park on a bench a read a book. i swore if that all life had in store for me if i ever got out of hospital I would be happy.
But as my energy and strength returned so did my imagination, drive etc that changed.

Out of this I figured that for me to be happy – I need to be fully expressed in life. To me this means making the most of what talent i may or may not have to pursue the passions i had – do work i loved and love the work i do… and in doing that happiness is the outcome – Will i be happier when i achieve the results in some of these projects than i am now in the striving it – i don’t know. It will be nice to have money, a social life, a girlfriend etc.. but i think i won’t be happier, i will just be the same with more resources – it not like i will stop dong the work.

7. Truth – Always. To myself. To others. Don’t give up my power. To my boss… anyone. Don’t lie.

8. Focus – On what I can do, find alternatives for what I can’t. There are always Solutions. if I can’t see one it just means i probably don’t see it rather than it doesn’t exist.

9. Execution – Get it done no matter what. Every time… any idiot can complain about their job, situation, life, whose fault it is, whatever … Most do.

10. Beliefs – have as few as possible, be careful what i ‘believe’. Our beliefs define the size of the box we’re living in. I want a big box, in fact I don’t want to be in a box at all.

Quick note: many of the beliefs i had.. up to my mid 20’s were from the society and environment around me, my parents, friends, the town, the school etc… when i finally realized that much of what i believed about the world, me etc.. was just a story of that environment or system and If i had grown up in a different country, with different culture, values, religion i would have believed whatever that environment prescribed – at least until i had the same revelation it was a revelation. opened new doors.

I now strive to be belief-less… the less ‘beliefs i find i have the more open i am to new possibilities the less dogmatic I am.
Half the beliefs i had in the past.. I had to change when more facts became available.
I am happy to accept uncertainty about many things, and certainly about life – the only certainty I have found about life is that it is uncertain – I am comfortable saying ‘i don’t know’ or I ‘don’t know what is going to happen’ rather than well. i believe this because x y z or whatever and its better to believe something than nothing.

11. Don’t be dogmatic – Listen, Learn, Teach , Share, Innovate – my best lessons have come from my worst mistakes, I try not to repeat them. Some of the best lessons have come from people I disliked – often because I was dogmatic about an idea perspective or because i was judging the person and not the message.

A quick note: I used to be very dogmatic about somethings – when I look back now – I was wrong, stupid. You don’t know what you don’t know and not making an effort to remain open to this factor has usually been the reasons I have got into trouble.

I use the 5K’s a lot now. [Competency scale]
-what I know i know – gets less all the time.
-what I think i know –
-what I know i don’t know –
-what I don’t know that i don’t know
-what i better damn well know if i want to make a success of x y or z project , decision etc.

12. Joy – Bring it, create it, share it. Take responsibility for your life and happiness. I’m not getting out alive, so make it count by finding,m sharing a little joy when i can.

This works for me.
I am rebuilding my life after a long sickness and losing a business and making a few key mistakes. I made the decision I did not want to f**k around any more with my life or live someone else’s view of what life should be at the expense of my own.

These 12 practices center me… i try not to be dogmatic about them and be opening to refining them as i acquire more wisdom. (Hopefully. Usually just when I think I have some wisdom i get a new lesson)
Say ‘no’ to wisdom :)

They are serving me well so far. I wrote them a long time ago, actually before i got sick. When I have strayed or compromise them i.e try to accommodate a friend or colleague I found i just diluted myself and paid a price.

Best of luck with yours.

I’m conscious about eating well now. Currently, I work with too many older people who are in pain and are disabled because of poor eating decisions when they were younger… and they still eat the same. And they’re in dementia, cranky, angry, depressed, weepy and take it out on those of us who take care of/work with them.

Thanks for that reminder, James.