Hey Reader,
Most high performers have done the work of knowing what they stand for.
Integrity, excellence, family, growth, and more.
But sometimes, it gets hard to swear by these values when pressure sets in.
In today’s issue, we’ll discuss practices to keep you true to yourself even when the stakes are high, for a more fulfilling success.
Let’s dive in.
💭 The credo wasn’t written for the good days
In 1982, someone laced bottles of Tylenol with cyanide in Chicago.
Seven people died.
Johnson & Johnson’s CEO, James Burke, was suddenly facing one of the worst corporate crises in American business history.
His board wanted to protect the brand.
The FDA said a full national recall wasn’t necessary.
The financial hit would be a lot, but Burke had a document.
Johnson & Johnson’s credo, a one-page statement of values written decades earlier by the company’s founder.
It said their first responsibility was to the people who used their products.
So Burke pulled 31 million bottles of Tylenol from shelves across the country, and it cost them over $100 million.
The stock dropped, but public trust in Johnson & Johnson went up.
Within a year, Tylenol fully reclaimed its market position.
Burke didn’t reach for his values only when it was comfortable.
He held onto them even when he had so much to lose.
🧠 Pressure will test your values
At some point, you sat down and got clear on what you stand for.
You know your values, and you live by them.
But pressure brings urgency, emotions, and high stakes into the room.
The kind of moments where something has to give.
You’re faced with many logical reasons to look away.
And if you’re not careful, you’ll find yourself compromising here and there.
That high standard can start to slip a little, just to get through the situation.
Then life moves on.
But something lingers.
There’s this restless hum replaying the choice you made and what you would have loved to do.
Self-sabotage, resentment, regret, and unhappiness can build up slowly and wear you down.
The tricky thing is, sometimes, it doesn’t look like a value problem when it’s happening.
It just feels like doing what you have to do.
There’s a thin line between the leader you are on your best days and the leader you become when everything is on the line.
❤️ How deeply rooted are your values?
When your values are built from a place that defines an immense part of you, it forms an identity strong enough to stand the test of time.
It builds an unfuckwithable mindset.
You just can't compromise on your standards even in high-stakes moments.
You don’t approach uncomfortable situations with the idea of escaping the discomfort.
You’re willing to face the outcome of hard decisions even if everyone tells you otherwise.
You care less about anyone validating your choice.
You’re able to filter opinions that don’t align, even if they make sense.
You become more self-aware.
You know exactly what you want.
You can easily sniff out the things that have a surface appearance of what you want, but don’t align with your values now or later.
Defensive, intrusive thoughts can still pop up in your head.
But your mind is clear enough to draw the line.
You become more confident, happier, and completely at peace with the decisions you make and their outcomes.
You'll love yourself more for that.
🤲 Are your values pressure-proof?
I get it.
Sometimes, going against your standards can look like the best decision.
These practices prepare me for moments like that.
It can help you too.
- Get brutally clear on where your values actually come from. For every value you hold, ask yourself: “Where did this come from? Is there a moment, a person, upbringing, moral, or an experience in my life that made this non-negotiable for me?” Values with a story make them so personal that betraying them would feel like betraying yourself.
- What’s your why? Why did you choose that value? You detest the opposite so much and the effect it has on you and other people? Why does that situation make you mad? Now, at least, imagine doing the very thing that’ll have a bad effect on you if the tables are turned, because you’re under pressure. You get the idea? A value with a personal why makes it unfuckwithable.
- Indulge a like-minded person. Talk to someone close who shares your values. They’ll be honest enough to tell you you’re probably about to lose yourself. This can help to reconnect you with your identity. They must share the same values. Someone who does not mind doing something will tell you to do it.
🎯 What does pressure actually reveal about you?
Think about the last time you had to make an uncomfortable decision.
Did you recognize yourself in the choice you made?
The stakes will keep going up.
And it will cost you if you lose yourself along the way.
In the words of Martin Luther King Jr, “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”
You've got this.
With appreciation,
Huw.
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Huw Edwards
Founder & CEO, h3.xyz
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