Three Values That Unite Us – ElPropósito3 min de lectura

How to be a positive influence on ourselves, on others and on the world

Photo by Mohan Murugesan on Unsplash

What can we live consciously, day to day, that leaves us feeling fulfilled? Or better yet, can we truly reach fulfillment? Three fundamental values run through every human life, and when we experience them and live them naturally, they’re an endless source of happiness, joy and wellbeing.

The first is love. Love for what we do, for other people and for the world we live in. On those three levels our ideas make their mark, and so do our actions, which, well directed, have a direct and meaningful effect on the world around us. Love shows up in simple everyday ways, and much of it costs no time or resources at all. We can give it back the same way, ideally in greater measure.

The second thing that lets us enjoy life to the full is the quality of our relationships. That quality grows out of special experiences that, quite naturally, enrich the other person’s spirit. Under what conditions? A key one is when we value, above everything else, who the other person is. That’s how timeless bonds are built, the kind of connection we always want to come back to because of what it gives us.

The third value we’re always being called to is finding meaning in our lives. As Nietzsche put it, "He who has a why to live can bear almost any how". As long as we stay true to what gives meaning to everything we do, we’ll find a wellbeing that, ups and downs included, works as a compass we can return to whenever we need to get back on course.

Love, Relationships and Meaning are three values we can live in any circumstance. Experiencing them takes awareness, the vulnerability to accept them and the courage to live them every day. And the more we remember that every person carries these three values inside, the better we’ll get at bringing them into everything we do.

Warm regards and all the best,

Rodrigo Baccaro

P.S. This week’s VELA:

• What I’ve been Viewing: What would Socrates do with a smartphone today? Another great interview from BBVA’s powerful and wonderful series, this time with a distinguished philosophy professor. The exercises he uses in class caught my eye, and I especially recommend the analogies and examples linking classical philosophers to a tool like Twitter.
• What I’ve been Listening to: Words shape our personality. An interview full of great exercises that I’ve been practicing to change how I see things. It’s also something I pay close attention to when I coach. A short interview worth your time.
• What I’ve been Reading: Sophie’s World. I had to pause the history of the United States I’ve been reading these past months. I’m about to enter the 1900s and needed a break before diving into a lot of detail I’m probably a bit more familiar with. Sophie’s World has become a yearly read because, like many good books, it opens the door to new authors, quotes and essays I should read, or at least revisit.
• What I’ve been Learning: What is an entrepreneurial ecosystem? A powerful HBR article with a checklist of myths and truths about entrepreneurial ecosystems, a subject that keeps pulling me in and taking up more and more of my time.

Author: Rodrigo Baccaro

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