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Many people determine their success by material or financial gain, but that is actually a byproduct of success. True success is determined by daily and long-term living that supports who you are and who you aspire to be.

If you don’t keep that in mind, you can work long hours to achieve a good standard of living, but neglect important relationships, personal development and all the other things that lead to happiness.

Bamboo Rule: Reaching goals while sacrificing your values is not achievement at all.

You have limited time and energy in your life. To keep your spirit nourished, and your life in harmony, it’s essential that you spend that time and energy on things that truly matter to you.

That can only happen if you take the time to explore and understand your most deeply held values, and then consciously live by those values every single day.

You might say that is easier said than done. I say this practice makes life easier.

Bamboo Rule: Don’t stop at identifying and talking about your values; put your focus into living up to your values.

Schedule – and by that I mean, literally, put time in your schedule – to think about what you care about most deeply. When you do this, don’t make the mistake of thinking in terms of your goals – what you want to accomplish. Rather, think in terms of your values – what you believe in and how you act.

Your values should be intrinsically uplifting and motivating. And they should be intrinsic to you, as individual as your fingerprints.

Don’t focus only on business, but look at the important people in all parts of your life. What kind of partner do you want to be? What kind of parent, sibling or child do you want to be? What kind of manager or employee do you want to be?

By clarifying what’s important to you, you will know what to schedule on a day-to-day basis and what distractions to avoid. You will have more energy at the end of the day because you will be focusing on those things that matter to you and which energize you.

And that is success.