Today I’d like to take you through an abbreviated version of a mindset exercise I recently completed.
You need to kind of let go a bit when doing this exercise … just jot down the first ideas that come to mind.
First, list your top 10 values. Do it as fast as you can without overthinking it. The top 10 things that are most important to you … write them down.
Now, narrow them down to five … getting rid of five things you could live without.
Finally, narrow the list down to three. These are the Three Essential Values that you will NEVER compromise.
You may have values like “family,” “love” or “financial freedom.”
When I went through this exercise, I was hit over the head by something quite surprising.
When I got down to my top 3, something extremely important was missing.
Health.
Sounds odd for a coach and gym owner not to value their own health, no?
Now, in fairness, I was thinking about this exercise incorrectly. I took for granted that health is something I value because of what I do for a living and how I take care of myself with exercise and nutrition.
So I figured, “Why take up one of the top three values with something that’s a given?”
I want to caution you against this kind of thinking.
There’s no such thing as a “given” … especially when it comes to your health.
Good health and vitality need to be prioritized and earned.
If “Health” isn’t one of the top 3 most important things in your life, I think that’s a really big red flag.
I thought that if I filled up my top 3 with other values that would result in good health, then good health would come to me.
But this is the wrong way to go about it.
If you want something … if it’s truly important and vital to you and your ultimate happiness … then you need to specifically and intentionally prioritize it and go after it.
It’s not going to just come to you.
Nothing worth having ever does.