Starting your own business can be one of the most rewarding ventures you do in life. It can lead to unlimited opportunity and financial growth. It can also mean the difference between simply having a job and living and working by our true purpose.

Of course, our success with any venture is determined by the big or small goals and priorities that we set. Maybe you’ve been meeting your goals so far with ease, or perhaps you’ve been struggling with them. No matter where you are in your journey, the often-overlooked aspect of running a business is the importance of aligning your business goals with your values. Ultimately, this piece separates businesses that thrive from those that struggle and eventually fail.

But how do you do that?

How do you even know what your values are? And once you do, then what? Those are the critical questions we’ll cover, and it all begins with understanding your authentic self.

Understanding Your Authentic Self

Understanding your authentic self is the first fundamental step in aligning your business goals with your values.

Here are some ways you can begin to do that:

1. Take Time to Self-Reflect: Reflect on activities that energize you and make you feel fulfilled. What are the tasks at which you excel and enjoy doing?
2. Ask for Feedback from Others: Seek input from friends, family, and colleagues about what they perceive to be your strengths and what activities or topics ignite your passion.
3. Look Back on Past Experiences: Consider past experiences, both personal and professional, and identify the moments when you felt most engaged and accomplished.
4. Explore Assessments: Consider taking the Clifton Strengths test to better understand your innate abilities and preferences. You can also take my brilliance archetype quiz to learn what role you want to play in your business and content.

It may sound silly, but doing one or all of these activities can help you get some outside perspective on who you are. Once you have this knowledge, you can align business goals with your unique strengths and passions, cultivating a more fulfilling and purpose-driven entrepreneurial journey.

Defining Heart-Centric Business Goals

In Japan, many people lead their lives under the concept of Ikigai (“Iki” meaning life and “gai” meaning value or worth). Ikigai is a comprehensive concept encompassing what you love, what you are good at, what the world needs, and what you can be paid for. It’s also believed to contribute to longevity and a sense of fulfillment in life.

Lean into the concept of Ikigai and ask yourself these Ikigai questions to define heart-centric business goals:

• What do I love?
• What am I good at?
• What can I be paid for?
• What does the world need?

Ultimately, following an Ikigai mindset can help define more heart-centric business goals.

Making Business Decisions That Align with Your Authentic Self

As a business owner and entrepreneur, you must make daily decisions. However, the best way to integrate long-term consideration into your day-to-day decision-making is to ensure each decision aligns with your authentic self.

But how?

Here are some strategies that can help you begin to examine each decision with your higher self in mind:

• Evaluate business opportunities through the lens of personal values: Review your values. Does that business decision align with or support them?
• Set clear and meaningful goals that resonate with your authentic self: What do you care about? Set goals that help you achieve that vision.
• Embrace flexibility and adaptation in pursuit of aligned success: Not everything works out immediately. Remember, there are many ways to achieve your goals. Being able to pivot is critical.

What to Do When You’re Feeling Stuck

If you’re feeling stuck in your business, practice going inward. Maybe start each workday with a prayer, meditation, or quiet self-reflection. Many have even found journaling to be incredibly helpful for clearing the mind and opening new pathways of thought.

Whatever you choose, take time daily to align your right and left brains. Doing so will help cultivate harmony within yourself. Once you have harmony within yourself, harmony and alignment will naturally begin to infiltrate your business, as well. And this, of course, is when success can occur.

To take this practice even deeper, I encourage you to read How to Know You Are Making the Right Decisions in Business and Life.

This article originally appeared in the Spring 2024 issue of CHOICES Magazine