I’m closing out our discussion on values with a brief look at my own along with the final piece—defining or clarifying statements.

While I could list numerous words that capture many things I value, I’ve settled on four key words that focus on my highest values and priorities: God-centeredness , Love , Leadership , and Simplicity (ranked in that order as well).

God-centeredness . A. W. Tozer once said: “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.” God is the center of everything in my life. All my decisions, choices, and actions flow from what I believe about God and what he expresses through his Word.

Love comes next. When my father passed away a little over two years ago, I was struck by all the testimonies regarding Dad’s love for people. I reasoned that if I could be half as loving as my father was, I would be a tremendous success in life. I may not agree with everyone or affirm all their choices, but I desire that those who have been in my presence will know that I love them with the love of God (unconditionally).

Leadership . John Maxwell has succinctly stated, “Everything rises and falls on leadership.” I couldn’t agree more. I believe that the serving leadership model of Jesus (an others’ orientation vs. self-orientation with their best in mind) will make the world a better place. Develop leaders in all spheres of society who lead, love, and serve like Jesus and you can impact the world.

Finally, simplicity . It’s rank ordered last because I will never compromise the other three for the sake of simplicity. I’m a pretty simple guy. I like simplicity on the far side of complexity. If you can’t break down a complex problem into something simple it irritates me. Ditto for books and presentations that relish complicated concepts and do not break it down into something understandable and applicable. I don’t like clutter. I like a small, tidy home. I only have so many sets of clothes. I like to get rid of things.

Each of my values are fleshed out with five to ten defining or clarifying statements. I’ll close with this example straight out of my mission statement:

I know I am demonstrating SIMPLICITY when I…

• Live a structured orderly lifestyle.
• Take time to observe beauty and enjoy the simple things in life.
• Value intentional serenity over constant mobility.
• Communicate to be effective avoiding opportunities to impress.
• Live creatively, not buying into the consumerism of our age.

[Click here for a values worksheet that helps you figure out and write down your core values. You can then plug them in to your purpose or mission statement accessible through a FREE online course found here ].