Work Ethic > Values
What if we let our values emerge from our actions?
"I am figuring out my values, that's why I haven't started anything yet."
We often hear that our values should guide our work. But what if it's the other way around? What if our work ethic is what shapes our values?
Work ethic is the way we interact, make decisions, and take action. And when our work ethic is strong, it means we:
Show up and do the work, day after day.
Stay consistent and dedicated to the work, especially when things get tough.
When we prioritize work ethic, we get to:
Create a solid foundation for continuous growth and learning.
Discover what matters to us directly through our work, not superficially through our thoughts.
Allow our values to emerge naturally from our consistent, mindful action.
So feeling lost or uncertain about our values is OK, because when we focus on doing the work, our values become pretty clear not only to us, but also to the people we interact with.
Examples of how values can arise out of a consistent work ethic:
Compassion: By acting with compassion towards others, we learn its true meaning.
Rationality: By making decisions based on reason and evidence, we develop a deeper understanding of critical thinking.
Mindfulness: By paying full attention to the present moment, we cultivate a greater appreciation for the richness of life.
What values can you discover by looking at the work you have been doing recently?
Mindfully,
/rajesh
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Raj, you give 3 "Examples of how values can arise out of a consistent work ethic." I definitely get how "rationality" will arise through consistent work ethic (because a strong work ethic will have you trying to reach a goal, and irrationality generally derails the results of a strong work ethic, thus a strong work ethic will likely forge you into a more rational individual), but I am not so clear on how a strong work ethic will lead to "compassion" and "mindfulness" being values in one's life. I have seen many hardworking people begin to view others as tools towards their own success, thus losing their "compassion" towards others. And also they are so obsessed with the future goals that they are not "mindful" of their present. You, Raj, have likely been around many more successful people than I have, and so maybe my limited exposure has brought me to the exceptions. But I'd be curious as to what you've seen that has lead you to believe that "compassion" and "mindfulness" are brought out through a strong work ethic.
Thanks for the comment and the great questions, Artie.
With those 3 examples, my point was not to claim that those three values will naturally follow for everyone, but only that they were my personal examples. So Rationality, Compassion, and Mindfulness are the values I discovered for myself as a result of my own work.
It's entirely possible that a person who views others as tools for their own success would then discern something else as their value. For example, their value may be: Instrumentalism, Self-Interest, Power, etc. Similarly, those who are obsessed with the future and take actions based on that criterion, will discover a different value for themselves such as Foresight, Perfectionism, etc.
It's not that I believe that "compassion" and "mindfulness" are always brought out through a strong work ethic. My belief has, in fact, no role to play in this. Instead, what I see is that when I look back at my own work-ethic (and my actions that have flowed from it), I seem to personally value compassion and mindfulness (and rational thinking).
In other words, if you looked at my actions on my projects and interactions with others (i.e. my work-ethic) over a long period of time, you would likely ascribe those three values to me.
So a strong work-ethic transformed into actions taken by different people would lead to each of them discovering what they personally find valuable.
Thank you for the clarifications Raj. That makes sense that you were sharing your own personal values that were developed through your work ethic, as I've developed my own too.
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