Well No Freaking Duh. That's What Values Are For.
Here's the dictionary definition of the word "good".
good /ɡo͝od/ adjective: good; comparative adjective: better; superlative adjective: best
1. to be desired or approved of. "a good quality of life"
pleasing and welcome. "she was pleased to hear good news about him"
expressing approval. "the play had good reviews"
I offer this definition to explain what I mean as I use the words "good" and "goodness" throughout the website and out of my mouth, because we live in a world where language is fluid and definitions are hazy at best and I'd prefer to communicate my ideas concisely so we both understand the perspective and context from which I'm speaking.
I correlate goodness to a set of personal values and a shared mission. Usually the mission is broad, but the values well-defined.
I ascribe to values of courage, humility, honor, truthfulness, and service.
Truth exists by means of observation and investigation. Truth will often challenge the will of your desire and will sometimes erase the value of your effort in an instant.
Truth is frustrating, sometimes terrifyingly unwieldy, and always easy to find if only we trust the efforts of our mind to seek it as easily as we trust our intuition to be absolute in an instant.
Find comfort in knowing nothing. Revel in being wrong. Be joyful with the knowledge you've gained.
Be Careful How You Use It.
Humility
My least favorite thing in the world is social media. I am deeply concerned by the arrogance and insecurity it breeds in people.
I suppose it may seem counter-productive for a business person to feel this way, but I believe the best work and most important work is done quietly.
That's why I decided to be a collaborative company. I want to provide high-quality coffee and food products to help create positively-associated characteristics for other organizations.
My name doesn't need to be prominent, and that's just how I like it.
To possess humility, you must assert a belief of personal imperfection and possess the integrity to apologize and set right the wrongs you've personally committed.
Courage exists in all of us. It is the willingness to take action in the face of fear and danger. It is a combination of anger, discipline, and an ability to sacrifice oneself to improve the quality of life for others.
Communities with courage are strong, communicative, and express a diversity of opinion in a respectful forum. The most enduring form of courage is expressed through words by powerful people with the capacity to destroy each other and the wisdom and wherewithal to avoid doing so.
Respect is an authority acquiesced by others in admiration of your ability to adhere to your set of values. It is easily revoked and is often done so publicly (see humility).
Respect is widely confused with compliance. Compliance is the opposite of respect. It rejects the authority and will of an individual, replacing it with fear.
To earn respect, you must walk the path of your values with personal conviction and an openness to treat others with kindness and dignity.
Service is the action of helping. Service is not sharing something on social media. It is not praying without action. Service is not believing you'd do better in someone else's circumstances. It is the aggregated form of your attempt to adhere to each of your other values through your actions.
With Love and Service, Chris