On Values, Priorities, & Outcomes
30. May, 2010 
5 Comments
By Greg Fullerton
I’ve written previously on the importance of identifying your values through conscious introspection.
But not only is it important to identify your values, but you must also prioritize them.
In the classic movie “Chariots of Fire,” the protagonist Eric Little had three values: his religion, his love for his country, and his love for running. He was clear and solid with those values.
He had also prioritized them. How do we know that? If you remember in the story line, it came time for him to run in the Olympics, and he wanted to run, and he wanted to represent his country, and he had to run on Sunday. And he turned down the opportunity because running on Sunday conflicted with his religious beliefs.
At one point a high-ranking government official told him, “You know, Eric, there comes a point where you must give everything up for your country.” Eric still refused.
Had Eric valued his country over his relationship with God, the outcome of that story would have been totally different.
And so it is with you: The outcome of your life will be determined both by what you value and how you prioritize your values.
Just as you don’t want to live life by default and be tossed about by the values of others, neither do you want to be caught in situations when your values conflict, and feel torn and ultimately make a poor decision.
The hard decisions aren’t between clear rights and clear wrongs; they’re between equally good things.
It’s your life and your story. You organize your values anyway that suits you. But whatever you do, do it consciously and before you’re forced to choose under duress.
There’s no guru that can tell you how your values should be prioritized. The best I can tell you is to take time to look deep inside and make the choice.
This prioritization will make a much bigger difference than you may realize. It could save your marriage or your relationship with your children. It can bring you more peace, stability, and confidence in your life.
If you have four values — love for your wife, love for your children, love for God, and a desire for financial security — and you value financial security more than the others, your life will be completely different than if one of the other three took precedence.
You’re going to make a whole different set of decisions based on how you prioritize those things, or how you feel about them, or the passion that surrounds them.
And they need to be yours. I can’t stress enough how important it is that it be your story, you’re not trying to impress anyone else, this is your story, this is what you live by and your quiet moments.
Thanks Greg for this insight. It is easy to get caught up in something you are so focused on that you forget to remember what is most important to you. To avoid later regret one must stay in the now and listen to their heart.
Another inpiring insight Greg, thanks. It’s a tough one creating your own story but in the end it makes the most sense. There’s a great book I’m re-reading about this exact subject – our story: A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller. I appreciate where you, Steve, Fred and the management team seem to be taking us.
Thanks Greg for this insight. It is easy to get caught up in something you are so focused on that you forget to remember what is most important to you. To avoid later regret one must stay in the now and listen to their heart.
This was great reading. I am new to the Max Intl site. What a welcoming.