Renewing My Effort at Full Engagement: Values

As the stress level starts to increase for me this spring (along with busyness) I am determined to make a renewed effort at implementing the philosophies outlined in The Power of Full Engagement and its Corporate Athlete Training System. For those who haven’t read the book:

Objective: Perform in the storm. Build the necessary capacity to sustain high performance in the face of increasing demand.

Central Conclusion: Energy is the fundamental currency of high performance. Capacity is a function of one’s ability to expend and recover energy; every thought, feeling, and action has an energy consequence; energy is the most important individual and organizational resource.

• Full engagement relies on skillful management of four interrelated dimensions of energy: physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual.
• To build capacity, we must push beyond our normal limits, training in the same systematic way that elite athletes do.
• Lifelong Energy Objective: To burn as brightly as possible for as long as possible in the service of what really matters.
• Full engagement requires periodic strategic recovery (disengagement).
• Sustained high performance is best served by assuming the mentality of a sprinter, not a marathoner.
• Most of us are under trained physically and spiritually and over trained mentally and emotionally.

I am going to start with reflecting on values – a value in action is a virtue. What values do I strive to embody regardless of external pressures? Some common values are listed below. After reflecting on this, I will post my thoughts and the next step.

Authenticity Balance Commitment Compassion Concern for others Courage Creativity Empathy Excellence Fairness Faith Family Freedom Friendship Generosity Genuineness Happiness Harmony Health Honesty Humor Integrity Kindness Knowledge Loyalty Openness Perseverance Respect for others Responsibility Security Serenity Service to others