What do you stand for?
What do you believe in?
What are you committed to doing—and NOT doing?
Have you ever written your commitments down? Have you ever encapsulated your beliefs? Your code? Your statement of faith?
Having a written creed helps a lot to stay true to the things you hold dear. It reminds you and helps you to stay focused on the things that truly matter to you.
The Declaration of Independence and our Constitution have certainly been the bedrock of the United States of America. It has served us for well over 200 years and been an inspiration to many who are not even Americans.
Over 20 years ago, I crafted a creed for SuccessNet. And it has been our guiding light as we built our company and governed how we do business and the many decisions we’ve made. It has served us, our business and our clients very well indeed.
I wish I had done the same for our family when I first started out. I know it would have helped to have a stronger family unit and kept us more together as we navigated the challenges any family faces.
But we have one now.
The written word is powerful. I consider writing to be the physical part of thinking. Creating a creed, developing, adding to it and refining it makes it a truly living document. With it you have more clarity and resolve. It’s easier to be true to what you have written.
I encourage you to develop your own creed—for yourself as an individual, for your family and for your business. A written creed can provide helpful and effective guideposts for you and the people you care about. I know it can make a difference.
Here’s SuccessNet’s Creed . . .
This article was originally published on SuccessNet.org in 2014.
