Every once in a while, I like to talk about things that are not technical or business related. Personal development is a favorite topic of mine, and I realize that it is an underappreciated subject. I think personal development gets a bad rap, and most people think of “self help” when they hear about personal development. I never really liked “self help” because it eludes that someone needs help. What if you like who you are and just want to grow? To me, that is personal development.

I have shared this at a few talks I have given this year, and that is my 5 pillars that I like to stand on. These are 5 things that I try to keep true throughout my day. Although, I don’t always achieve them, they at least act as a compass in my life. And, in a world where things seem to always go sideways, having a compass sometimes helps. They are as follows:

1. I am a God-fearing, strong, wise, and humble leader.
2. I am a good, caring, understanding, and supportive husband.
3. I am a caring, strong, understanding, wise, and supportive father.
4. I am a builder of people who allow me to build.
5. I am an elegant and passionate public speaker.

As you can see, they are simple and not only characteristics that I try to live up to. They are also written as affirmations, something I believe to be true about myself. It is not always easy to measure them, and as I stated above, I don’t always live up to them. Yet, I do believe them to be true and simultaneously am measuring myself against them often.

I also see these as my personal value statement, my personal vision statement, and my personal mission statement. Something that we come up with often for our businesses but don’t do for ourselves.

I would encourage anyone I know to write your own. Change them until they fit you, and do your best to be those statements.