12 values that can help us to be more successful in life.

In 2005 American tennis player Andy Roddick was considered one of the top tennis players in the world.

He made it to the Wimbledon finals against Roger Federer that same year.

At the 2005 Masters tennis tournament in Rome Italy, he ended up playing Fernando Verdasco from Spain in the finals. He was the heavy favorite and dominated the match.

Roddick was leading with triple match point when Verdasco delivered the final serve. It blew past Roddick. 

The judge declared the serve was out of bounds, game over and so was the tournament. The crowd went wild and both players walked to the net for the customary handshake.

Then something peculiar happened.

Roddick signaled the judge to reconsider the call. Roddick knew the ball hit the line and was technically “fair”.

Play continued and Verdasco made a miraculous come back.

Roddick’s honesty cost him a lot of money that day, but he salvaged something more important. His integrity.

Values matter and when they are solid, they guide our decisions.

Here are 12 values I believe can help make life more successful:

Courage 

“One isn't necessarily born with courage, but one is born with potential. Without courage, we cannot practice any other virtue with consistency. We can't be kind, true, merciful, generous, or honest.” Maya Angelou

“A ship is safe in harbor, but that's not what ships are for.” John A. Shedd

Kindness

“Constant kindness can accomplish much. As the sun makes ice melt, kindness causes misunderstanding, mistrust, and hostility to evaporate.” Albert Schweitzer

“Remember there’s no such thing as a small act of kindness. Every act creates a ripple with no logical end.” Scott Adams

 Patience

“Two things define you: your patience when you have nothing and your attitude when you have everything.”

“Have patience. All things are difficult before they become easy.”

Integrity 

“Honor your commitments with integrity” Les Brown

“Power really is a test of character. In the hands of a person of integrity, it is of tremendous benefit; in the hands of a tyrant, it causes terrible destruction.” John Maxwell

Gratitude/Appreciation 

"Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it." William Arthur Ward

"Reflect upon your present blessings, of which every man has plenty; not on your past misfortunes, of which everyone has some." Charles Dickens

 Forgiveness

"Forgiveness is the fragrance that the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it". Mark Twain

“When you hold resentment toward another, you are bound to that person or condition by an emotional link that is stronger than steel. Forgiveness is the only way to dissolve that link and get free.” Catherine Ponder

Love

“No one is born hating another person…People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.” Nelson Mandela

“Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them, humanity cannot survive.” Dalai Lama

Growth

“One can choose to go back toward safety or forward toward growth. Growth must be chosen, again and again, fear must be overcome again and again.” Abraham Maslow

“Change is inevitable. Growth is optional.” John Maxwell

 Listening

“Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply.” Stephen R. Covey

“The most basic of all human needs is to understand and be understood. The best way to understand people is to listen to them.” Ralph Nichols

Respect 

“Respect yourself and others will respect you.” Confucius

“Everyone should be respected as an individual, but no one idolized.” Albert Einstein

“Knowledge will give you power, but character respect.” Bruce Lee

Giving 

"Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds you plant." Robert Stevenson

"To ease another's heartache is to forget one's own." Abraham Lincoln

"No one has ever become poor by giving." Anne Frank

 Vision

“Wherever you find a prosperous business, you will come upon some individual who has Creative Vision”. Napoleon Hill

“The world of great opportunity is available now, as it has always been, only for those with great vision”. Andre Carnegie

“We are not stuck in the ruts of destiny, we have the power to break free, clear our vision and see a new life for ourselves”.

Sum it up

Have you defined the values that matter most to you? Share your thoughts in the comments section and please like and share this article. I love learning from you as well.

About Steve:

Steve Wohlenhaus is CEO of Weatherology, the leading company in the world at disseminating audio weather information.  Steve began his career as a major market television weather anchor in Minneapolis, where he received several Emmy Awards for science programming. Steve is an author and host of the podcast program Anatomy of Success. Reach out and connect with me on LinkedIn. Learn more about my work and grab the free Weatherology mobile app by clicking any picture in this article!