Do you realize that every action you take, every word you speak, and every thought you process is based on something you deeply believe? It is true. I believe you can take this even to every morsel of food you put in your mouth to eat. If you do not eat sushi, it is generally because you do not believe it is healthy for you.  You may say you do not like the taste or texture, but deep down there is an underlying belief that it cannot be healthy for you. This belief causes you to consider that you will become sick after eating sushi. Therefore, you will not afford the health risk.

Not only with food, but how and where you spend your time, what you read, watch on TV, and how you use your computer, cell phone, how you interact with friends and other people. Every act and thought you entertain from the time you awaken each morning to the time you fall asleep at night is based on one of your deeply held beliefs.

While this is true and everyone has a distinct set,  most people never take the time to sit down and attempt to discover their deepest inner beliefs, otherwise known as core values.

In a study course I penned twenty years ago I wrote of Benjamin Franklin’s self-constitution (as he called it). Franklin was under the belief that he could improve his quality of life and better fulfill his life purpose if he understood and practiced improving the virtues of his inner beliefs. He listed 12 and took them to a trusted Quaker friend. His friend reviewed the list and suggested Franklin add one more, humility. His friend was not suggesting Franklin had humility, but to achieve his goal Franklin needed to work on this virtue as well. Franklin agreed and added humility to his list.

Franklin spent the rest of life taking one of the thirteen virtues of his belief system and working on developing just one each week. Thus he was further developing each one four times a year, every year. Someone ask Franklin when he was seventy-two years of age, “Has it worked? Have you improved in these areas.” To which Franklin replied, “Yes, I have. I believe I have improved in every area – except one,” he added. Which one had Franklin not developed? Humility. You see it was never part of his inner belief system. Something in his core belief system did not recognize humility as a valued trait. Therefore, he was never able to grasp or develop it.

Do you know your core values? What are you doing to improve the virtues of your beliefs? How are you manifesting through your words and actions the beliefs you hold deeply? In The Transparent Leader, Dick Capen writes, “Living out our faith can be enriched, in my opinion, by using three principles…The principles of helping others, using our abilities, setting an example, and living our values were important parts of our diplomatic service…”

Capen’s three principles were manifested through his actions, words, and deeds. He is speaking of living out his values and his core beliefs (values) were demonstrated (manifested) through his deeds, actions, and speech. Yours are too. The question is have you taken time to examine the beliefs you are demonstrating and what is being manifested through your words and actions? Doing a little self-study like this often times reveals some insights in flawed thinking of how we actually appear to others. As a leader it is especially important to examine our core values and what is being manifested through our interaction with others.

Why not undertake a core values examination of your beliefs and perhaps an exercise like the one Ben Franklin chose. Nothing good is ever lost when you work to improve your interaction with others and strengthen your beliefs.

For more information on topic contact George Yates and visit SonC.A.R..E. Ministries.