Principles are the foundation of my growth path

In the fall of 2020 I had a conversation with a colleague about some inspiring books. He was surprised I didn't know Stephen Covey's book (Book Stephen Covey ) on effective leadership. My colleague thought this was 'the book' that everyone should have read.

In this section “Grow along in a fast-changing world” I would like to share my experience and I want to inspire people to invest time in their growth path, both on a personal and professional level.

Well, I have read the book and indeed my colleague is quite right. Today, after so many years, the book is more relevant than ever in this rapidly changing world.

I had already determined for myself that I should put my principles on paper as a guideline for how I want to live life. I had already prepared a first draft, but in the book I found an interesting format that I applied for myself.

In each of the sections I have listed a number of principles that I find important and that give me a direction in how I wish to stand in the world as a person. I replaced the section 'Church' for myself with 'Spirituality. I then regularly evaluate whether I apply these principles effectively and whether they are still up to date. If I think I have not applied certain principles properly, I try to find out why this is and what I can do about it.

As a first column I have taken principles about 'Myself' because I believe that as a person you should be able to be stable yourself and spend enough energy on it before you can give your energy elsewhere. For inspiration, I would like to give an example based on a fantastic book by Matthew Walker about sleeping. Well, the principle that I try to apply for myself is that sleeping is the highest good for me. It's so important that no worries should keep me from sleep. It is a privilege that I am entitled to at all times. I consciously say 'try' because in practice I do not always succeed, but I do strive for it.

Writing out, applying and sharing your principles with your loved ones is what I recommend to everyone. Get started because it is simpler than it may seem at first glance. And once you've put your principles on paper, try to live by them. And evaluate yourself and your principles on a regular basis. I promise you will benefit.