What are these guiding principles that we are talking about? Well, let’s start by defining what these two words mean to us; guiding and principles. They may have slightly different connotations to you and that’s ok. That’s the beauty (and the curse) of langauge, isn’t it? So, fasten your seatbelt. Here we go!

Guiding [gahyd-ing] verb

We interpret guiding to mean to accompany and show points of interest in order to explain their meaning or significance as it relates to a topic, process or concept.

Principle [prin-suh-puhl] noun

We interpret principles to be the guiding sense of a fundamental doctrine or tenet forming a distinctive opinion on professional conduct.

As part of the ongoing development of the theviewfromhere we have established four guiding principles that will be the driving force for the development of content offered on this site. Intertwined in each of these principles is a love for life, balance, hard work and especially laughter. We may not always be funny but will do our best to weave some humour into everything we do. Why? Because we all know that laughter is the best medicine.

Each of the following guiding principles aligns with one of the four figures (those little guys in the header) that make up theviewfromhere.

Learn

Who else is going to do it for you? Never stop reading, educating yourself and accumulating information. You will always win if you can take one small thing away from a publication or book or a podcast or a blog (you get the idea). Reading and researching opens you up to new ideas and concepts that you may not have thought of and you’ll end up smarter than the average bear or at least a lot more well rounded.

Accept

Talk is cheap. Telling someone “how to” or being told “how to” is a waste of time. Communication, in the form of real two way interaction (how else, there goofball?), with the people in your life; family, friends, colleagues and your influencers will help you refine your skills and provide you the criticism to fix your mistakes. Let’s face it; you make mistakes. So, do I. That’s how we learn.

Share

Share your ideas, thoughts, strategies and what you learn. Never be afraid to share your dreams (unless they are dirty – we’re not THAT kind of site). You never know what new innovations may come from sharing your ideas or how your ideas may influence others. Who knows, with all the learning and interaction you do you might enlighten someone or even yourself!

Act

And by act we don’t mean be your favourite thespian. Do something instead of thinking about it. Start. Get going. You will learn and grow by taking action. There’s plenty of time to fix it but there’s never enough time to wait to start. If you don’t start how will you know you can get there?

So, there they are.

Whattya think? It sounds pretty good, doesn’t it? Dive in. Go on, both feet. That’s it. And don’t forget to ask for help if you need it.

I know, progress can be like navigating a maze (ha, don’t I know it!) and here’s one we created that you can try just for fun.

Click on it! Save it! Print it! TRY IT!

What about the risk? Yes, these principles involve risk.

The risk to you if you don’t act is that you might miss your calling. The risk to you if you don’t accept is that you might never get the valued feedback you deserve. The risk to you if you don’t share is that you might never know if your ideas make any sense. The risk to you if you don’t act is that you might never get to experience the joy of your own ideas coming to fruition.

So, is that enough for you to get going, keep going or to start again? I hope so.

See you on the road to success, my friends!

About this Author: Ralph Dopping (166 Posts)

A quirky sense-o-humour coupled with an indelible sense of stylish sarcasm makes it difficult to take the world too seriously doesn't it? My faves: fun, passion and hard work. I work here everyday: www.designdialog.ca