Am I going to tell you what ideals to live by? No ….. not my job. It is your life. You pick ideals that you can relate to.
What I can do, however, is suggest how to use your chosen ideals to guide you throughout your day. After all, what good are ideals if you don’t live them?
This is not complicated. Try these four simple steps.
First, pick two or three ideals that have meaning to you. There are many to choose from. Think of things that you might want to be known for: honesty, integrity, kindness, trustworthiness … the list is very long, indeed.
Second, tag each of your ideals with a person or a character. This could be a relative, a celebrity, a heroic figure, or even an animal that in some way has inspired you. For example, if you had chosen “Compassion” as an ideal, you might tag that ideal to Mother Theresa. Or, if you felt that “Determination” was an important ideal, you might tag that one to Winston Churchill
Third, identify something that you do at the start of your day. It can be a simple act that you perform every day …. stretching when you first get out of bed, brushing your teeth, pouring your first cup of coffee. The act itself does not matter, as long as you do it consistently at the start of each day. This will be your trigger point to activate the process.
The fourth and final step is where you bring it all together. Let’s say that you have decided to use the moment when you pour your first cup of coffee as your trigger point. As you pour that first cup, say the words, “Mother Theresa is Compassion. Winston Churchill is Determination.” This will bring your ideals to the forefront of your mind.
Follow these four steps and there is a good chance that your chosen ideals will be there to guide you throughout your day.