4 Ls – Live, Love, Learn, Legacy
I am blessed to have a great mentor in Mark Mortimer-Davies who introduced me to the valuable lesson of embracing the 4 Ls in my career, and life in general. Full of stories and experience, Mark extrapolated this concept from the Steven Covey’s 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People.
The values focus on 4 overlapping needs that constantly move with time, meaning that my values may adjust as I move on in my priorities.
Introducing the 4 Ls
Live
Financial needs and environment play an important part in us performing at our peak. In order to sustain our ways of life, our income should allow us to enjoy our lifestyle in our environment of choice.
Love
Our family & friends make up a huge part of our lives. Being close to them to enjoy our lifestyles will only satisfy our lifestyles. In addition, to work with mates is always more amazing than constantly being pulled down by office politics. That is why organisations are investing more in culture these days. Studies show we perform better working with people we trust.
Learn
Albert Einstein cannot be truer when he said: “The day we stop learning is the day we die“. We all have the ability to be much more, and learning is the most effective way to achieve our potential. I have written an article on learning on LinkedIn that elaborates more on this point.
Legacy
Leaving a positive legacy is similar to having a tree that bears juicy fruits. I have a goal to deliver at least one major legacy with every piece of work, hence the need to be passionate with what I do. Legacies are more than achieving what the job requires – they transform the business positively, often lasting longer than my engagement with the business.
How they look like
I like to see the Ls as 4 overlapping circles making up a Venn Diagram. These circles move as we move on in life.
Typically in our late teens & the early 20s, we are more heavily focused on “Live” & “Learn” as we start our journey through adult life. Moving to the late 20s & early 30s, the focus moves more towards “Love”, and later on “Legacy”.
Of course, we all have different priorities and experiences, which adjust our viewpoint accordingly. As such, our focus move with our needs. Since learning about the 4 Ls, I have made an effort to understand my own priorities twice a year to align my objectives with my core values.