What Is Important?

Recently, several of us had to deal with the fact that Zeeland West High School was going to hold a dance in the Haworth that greatly exceeded the fire code. The decision was remarkably simple — they could not hold the dance at Haworth? Why? Because we made the decision based on our values (e.g. safety of the students) rather than our goals (e.g. an income target for the year). We knew it would anger and disappoint people; it would have been easier to let them hold it. But we place our values before goals. 

Walt Disney’s business-minded brother, Roy, said it most simply: “It’s not hard to make decisions when you know what your values are.”

It is no secret that we live in a goal-driven society. Goals are important for providing us direction and evaluating our successes for failures

But what about our values? Values are those principles we base our life upon.  Living out our values is more important than any goal because if we sacrifice our values to reach a goal, it feels like an empty victory. Where those values come from will differ for everyone. Some values I learned from family and friends growing up, others I learned from books and classes, and most come from my faith. But knowing your values is essential if you want to live them out.

So perhaps this week it is worth considering what your values are and how they impact your work. I guarantee it will be a fruitful exercise. 

“I don’t know what sort of world she will live in and I have no fixed opinions concerning how she should live in it. I only know that if she does not come to value what is true above what is useful, it will make little difference whether she lives at all.”

― Cormac McCarthy, All the Pretty Horses