Do you have a personal philosophy? A brief statement that encapsulates your beliefs and is your approach to leading your life?
Ever since my time with Pete Carroll as a student at USC I have been committed to keeping a personal philosophy that is 25 words or less. You’d be surprised to see how few people have this.
Author Ryan Holiday puts it well: “You need a philosophy and you need to write it down. And re-write it and go over it regularly. Life is too hard (and too complicated) to try to wing it and expect to do the right thing.”
Sounds good enough to me.
During the past few months in quarantine, I have spent a lot of time diving into who I am, who I want to be and where I want to be at this point of my life and my career.
It’s important to keep in mind these visions evolve and shift as life moves forward. These may not have been my philosophies five years ago and they are not my philosophies that will stay with me until the end of time. But at this point (June 2020) these are what I believe, with the help of some of my favorite leaders and books.
I feel like most people keep this private; possibly out of fear of being vulnerable and judged?
I have kept this type of stuff close to my chest, too. But I think it’s important to write this down and document.
Personal -
First and foremost - from a personal standpoint I have narrowed it down the following statement: I am a passionate, optimistic individual dedicated to bringing joy to others, creating work that matters and loving my family and friends.
I am an energetic individual who aspires to be inspired. Through that, connecting with people is one of my most favorite parts of that. To be able to influence others is a joy and I can’t take that for granted.
Within that ‘mission statement’, I have a few important bullet points:
Be passionate. I have a lot of energy and I have learned that it can be a strength if I channel it correctly
Focus on the ONE thing (borrowed from The One Thing)
Belief that something good is right around the corner (borrowed from Pete Carroll)
The core of my soul includes:
Optimism
Love
Energy
What makes me come alive?
Personal connection
Inspiration to become great
Family and friends
Professional -
From a professional standpoint, I am passionately dedicated to connecting my brand’s audience through micro-moments within a macro journey with thumb-stopping creative and obsessing over our fans.
Through those, I also have a few important bullet points:
Be relentlessly committed to self-disruption… Innovate or die.
Exceed all expectations rather than satisfy them. (borrowed from Disney)
The Customer lifetime value is one of the most important factors for a brand - and unlocking all that data is a must in today’s word.
Obsess over the customer. (borrowed from Amazon)
Create Thumb-Stopping Content = WOW Experiences = Emotion
LESS but BETTER. (borrowed from Essentialism)
I want to empower others to be their BEST
Post-campaign debrief: Did Well? DO BETTER // Did Poorly? DO BETTER (borrowed from Jocko Willink)
Think like this: Where do I want to be on Friday? End of month? End of year?
What do I want to accomplish?
Who do I want to meet with?
Drive revenue
Provide a first-class experience everywhere
Ask why
So, where do I want to be in an ideal state?
I want to lead a high-performing team, whatever level that is, at all times. As I continue to grow, that could be a CMO, CEO, Athletic Director, etc.
Of course I want to be a great father.
In the last 24 months since the birth of my two daughters, I have appreciated what it takes to be there to help guide someone through life and it has given me great joy. I also want to be a great and supportive husband to my amazing wife, Annie.
That’s who I am in June 2020 and where I look to go.
Cheers.
