Lately, it seems that the days of my life are becoming more important. Not like an increase in MY importance, but an increase in accountability for my time. I find myself constantly asking if what I’m doing is the best use of my time. Perhaps this is why I’ve begun devouring books like Getting Things Done and The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It. Although the content of both books seem to be unrelated, in essence, they are teaching me about being deliberate. With that perspective, it’s easy to see why the weight of being responsible for my time and energy have increased.

When I step back and look at what being deliberate means, it’s means living life on purpose. Further distilled, I realize that it’s all about knowing my personal values and being committed to them. After thinking this through more, I have come up with five core values for my life:

• Spiritual Development: Basically, this is my pursuit of God and the constant refinement, readiness and willingness to live a life as a dedicated disciple.
• Family: My wife, my child(ren), and my immediate and extended family
• Work: Owning a company is a responsibility that I take very seriously. It’s not something that I use for solely for personal gain, it represents: assignments, people, excellence, the small things, giving back and fiscal responsibility.
• Relationships: The pursuit, strengthening and nurturing of the relationships I am responsible for
• Me: Pursuing the things that I want and need to further enhance the other core values. Further defined, that means spending time in the Word, praying, working out so I am able to do anything that’s required of me, and pursuing the hobbies and interests that I enjoy.

What are yours?