I recently came across an interesting document titled Standards in Public Life. It’s a 1995 report from the Nolan Committee and was commissioned by British Prime Minister John Major to

“…examine current concerns about standards of conduct of all holders of public office, including arrangements relating to financial and commercial activities, and make recommendations as to any changes in present arrangements which might be required to ensure the highest standards of propriety in public life.”

As part of its recommendations the committee felt it necessary to restate some general principles of conduct. These 7 principles serve as an excellent guide for not just public servants but for everyone in a position of responsibility. They are:

These are not new concepts, of course, but they definitely merit review in the context of how we lead our lives and manage our affairs. I know I struggle with some of them on a regular basis, and I’d be willing to bet that you do, too.

And don’t even get me started on the vast majority of our current crop of politicians….

I long ago developed the habit of waking up at 4:30 a.m. It’s a habit born of necessity - my unit’s physical training program started mighty early - but maintained out of an appreciation for how it shapes my day. It’s amazing how much can be accomplished in a few very quiet hours in the morning. On most days I’m able to catch up on the latest news, analysis and opinion, clean up any stray email I may have missed the previous day and generally lay the groundwork for a productive day.

an early and structured start to the day provides a much needed opportunity for study, exercise and reflection.Now that I’m in the middle of a major personal and professional shift I’m seriously thinking about moving my wake-up call to 5:30 a.m. I would enjoy the extra hour of sleep (or maybe be able to stay up an hour later each day to enjoy the company of my wife) and, I believe, still manage to effectively jump start my day. And, it turns out, I would be aligned with a number of successful business leaders who find that the first few (early) hours of the morning are critical to setting the tone for a productive day. As Jim Citrin discovered when he surveyed 20 top executives, an early and structured start to the day provides a much needed opportunity for study, exercise and reflection.

So, how about you? Do you like to get the most out of your day with an early start, or do you think that some extra time in bed is more beneficial? And regardless of when you get up, what specific morning routines have you developed to set the stage for a productive day?

(thanks, Bert)

UPDATE:  Post modified with the addition of a pull quote.

It’s trite but it’s true - your success or failure is entirely in your hands. And if ever there was a need for an object lesson to illustrate that little truism the Tennessee Titan Football Club has provided it in spades. Consider the unlikely sequence of events that had to occur in order for the Titans to qualify for post-season play:

Remarkably, all 3 teams did, in fact, earn the needed victories. All that remained was for the Titans to defeat the New England Patriots and they (the Titans) would be the first team in NFL history to recover from an 0-5 start and qualify for the playoffs. That they failed to defeat the favored Patriots only goes to show that, regardless of what outside help you may or may not receive, you can only succeed through your own hard work.

Think about it.

What would you do if you could do anything you wanted?  Is your current vocation everything you hoped it would be?  Or is there a particular passion that you’d love to pursue as a career?  If it’s the former, congratulations.  If it’s the latter, what exactly is holding you back?

Think about it.

This is possibly the most important personal development passage you will ever read -

There is an implied assumption when you are pursuing your dream. That assumption is that reaching your outcome is the only valuable part of the process. Being the famous actor, owning the billion dollar empire, selling the best-selling novel. Realizing the dream is what matters most.

There is only one problem with outcome-based thinking. It doesn’t work! When you ask most hugely successful CEO’s what the best part of their journey to success was they will tell you it was when they were still young, optimistic and struggling. Achieving goals doesn’t make you happy because achievements on their own hold no lasting emotional value. Only growth, fullfilment and passion has value.

The entire article is well worth a read, especially if you’re considering charting a new course for your life. If nothing else it provides some much needed balance to a seemingly never-ending stream of success-centric self-help books and articles. And that can only be a good thing.