What are your non-negotiables in life?
When I talk about non-negotiables, I mean a set of principles which guide you in your life. These are principles which you will not bend for anyone, because they are what make you, YOU. It is important to recognize what these are, and ensure that others know as well. It is your duty to set these boundaries with others, so they know how to treat you.
You have enemies? Good. That means you’ve stood up for something, sometime in your life.
-Sir Winston Churchill
Discovering your non-negotiables
I encourage you to take some time to write down the different values, principles, beliefs, goals, and customs that you hold dear. Understand that each of those are their own specific topics, and together they will inform you of your non-negotiables. For me, family, friends, work, integrity, and health are non-negotiables. These are what guide my life and my goals, and this is what yours should do as well.
Living by your non-negotiables
After finding what your non-negotiables are, you need to plan out how you can implement them in your everyday life and how they can help you reach your goals. If, like me, you said family, this means nothing gets in the way of your family, and it means you will do anything you can for your family. Now this is quite a broad statement, so we need to dig into it and discover what it looks like and how it influences how we interact with our families. I invite you to search deep into your non-negotiables so you can use them to guide your decisions in life.
Communicate your non-negotiables
As I mentioned, you need to communicate these to people in your life. In doing so, you will attract people with likeminded non-negotiables. These people will help you realize your dreams and you, theirs! The reverse of this, is it also allows you to see who is toxic and not worth your time. Walk away from people like this. They want you to live according to their non-negotiables and not yours.
Check your alignment
Ensure that all aspects of your life align with your non-negotiables. The activities you pursue, your relationships, your work, and your hobbies. By aligning all these aspects of your life with your non-negotiables, you will see your attitude and wellbeing improve for the better. Nothing makes your life better than being true to yourself.
In our book, The Secrets To Living A Fantastic Life, non-negotiables are one of the Golden Pearls. This may not be the “flashiest” Golden Pearl, but it is one that allows you to build a foundation that strengthens every aspect of your life. I encourage you to read our book and learn about the other Golden Pearls and how they can help improve your life.