Recently a colleague and a friend reminded me that having core values for your business is important, especially when you’re a business owner and the line between your business and your own person-ness is a thin one. That is definitely the case with me!

Defining – and holding – core values for your business enables you to recognize how those values show up in your day-to-day operations, understand why you do the things you do, and make sound business decisions that will truly support you in reaching your goals. Those are pretty important for business success, right?

So I decided to define the Finding Bliss Core Values and to share them with you, with the goal of holding them and imbuing them with the power they have to strengthen my brand, connect with my audience, and fuel my success. So here we go:

1. No judgment.  Ultimately, there is no right or wrong when it comes to love. Everything is a learning experience.

2. Quality vs quantity. This is true in many aspects of life, but especially so when it comes to seeking, finding, giving, receiving, and sharing love.

3. Speaking only the truth. I’ve mentioned this before, and it refers to having the willingness and the courage to have the hard conversations from the beginning. Small talk is fine to break the ice; we need it and it’s human nature to start with it. But once those shards are hitting the floor and melting away, move on to the stuff that truly matters. I give all of my clients this advice and follow it myself.

4. Being forgiving. Entire books are written about this topic but in a nutshell it boils down to letting go of the three R’s: Resentment, Resistance, and Revenge. I never want Finding Bliss to operate from a place of negativity, so I extend my forgiving nature to my brand.

5. Accepting responsibility. This is a biggie. Many of us struggle to recognize the times when we need to accept responsibility, or the times when doing so will better serve us than laying blame. Just realize that it’s okay to say “Sorry” and that sometimes you need to say it to yourself.  Remember that you are here, and I am here, and we are all here where we are today because of the choices we have made in life. So accepting responsibility for them is something that I, and Finding Bliss, wholeheartedly believe in.

6. Being supportive. Finding Bliss supports clients so they feel happy, motivated, and excited. To make that happen, the brand operates from a place of looking at the optimistic side of life, which I also do in my personal life. And note that being supportive means more than just supporting others; it also means supporting yourself.

7. Unconditional giving. Much like the previous value, this refers to yourself as well as to others. When I give to others, I do it without expecting something in return. I sometimes actually do ask myself the question: “What can I give?” Maybe JFK said it best: “Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country.” Substitute “partner,” “boyfriend,” [or in my brand’s case, “client”] for the word “country” and you have a pretty great way of moving through life [and the business world].

8. Being impeccable. I mean impeccable in every way: with your words, your purpose, your truth. It means to keep your word because words are power;

a gift that comes directly through you. With them, you can create the events in your life [or your business]; you can create a beautiful dream or destroy everything around you. Don Miguel Ruiz talks about this in his book, The Four Agreements and I encourage you to check it out.

9. Be child-like. Children live in the present moment, with little to no worries, and they don’t take No for an answer. They are unstoppable in their optimism, imagination, creativity, and structureless pursuit of the next smile. Somewhere along the way to adulthood, we lose the vast majority of these qualities. Short of throwing tantrums and being inconsiderate, or making unsound business decisions, we should all try to be more child-like.

10. Being determined. This boils down to three things: conceive, believe, and achieve. What a great way to build a business or a brand, huh? It’s important to ask questions and be persistent in getting to the answers. An example I love to share with clients and that inspires me is Thomas Edison, who recorded some 25,000 failures in his attempt to invent a storage battery. He was once asked how it felt to fail 25,000 times and he replied: “Those were not failures. I learned 24,999 ways not to make a battery.”

I hope I’ve inspired you to think about your own core values. You should sit down and write them out; really examine them. Drill down to the center of you and figure them out, whether you end up with two, three, or ten values; whether you own a business or not. It will help you figure out what you’re looking for in a partner, and to make sound decisions when those turning points in a relationship crop up. And you know they will!