What Do You Value?

Dr. Success challenge: Review your checkbook and your calendar. What does how you spend your money and where you spend your time say about what you value in your life? Is the picture accurate?

I have been working with the following questions this week: What do you value? Where do you put your priorities?

Within the self-help community there is a saying, “If you want to know what a person values, look at their checkbook and their calendar.” I believe I first heard that from Bob Proctor.

When I was first confronted with these questions, I was deep into the study of behavioral traits. I thought I had found my calling -- learning and teaching others about how to master their behavior and then to teach them how to use the information to softly manipulate others. You did not read that wrong, I wish you did. Anyone who studied behavior in the 1960 – 1980s was being taught to first know themselves, then use the knowledge to manipulate those in their sphere of influence to do what they wished – in business that meant your subordinates and competitors and consumers. In your personal life it meant all the people you supposedly loved. The names of the programs did not even try to hide that fact. There was the Silva Method of Mind Control, Neuro-linguistic programming, and EST to highlight a few.

I have experienced all these programs and actually think they can be used as great development tools. Lucky for all of us, it is no longer respected to use information to manipulate others. The conversation in behavior and development has moved from manipulation to cooperation, from accountability (results) to responsibility (how you achieve results).

I have found an easy way to teach this materail and it with the use of the DiSC Behavorial Profile. This Spring marks the 25th year of my using DiSC. I guess you can say I value the information it has to offer. Find out for yourself.