Most people don’t lead their life, they accept their life. People who lead their life intentionally add value to others. ~John C. Maxwell

Maxwell says that the difference between accepting your life and leading your life is intentionality. He believes that everything worthwhile is uphill, all the way. Most people have uphill hopes and downhill habits. The people who accept the premise that everything worthwhile is uphill, are the people who live, and lead, with intentionality.

I heard Maxwell speak last week. One of the ways he distinguished someone who accepts their life (downhill habits) from someone who leads their life (intentionality) is that the leaders are always adding value to others. Here is Maxwell’s list of five things to do every day, to add value to others.

Value people.  You can spend your life connecting with people or correcting people. If you value them, you will be connecting.

Think of ways to add value to people. This is upfront thinking. You’re thinking ahead of time–to the next week, the next day, or the next meeting–how you will intentionally add value to someone else’s life.

I want to pause here and share an example that Maxwell described. He has a nine-year-old grandson who, even at his young age, gets the concept of adding value to other people. John asked his grandson what he was going to do tomorrow to add value to other people. After his grandson thought about it for a while, he decided that he was going to open as many doors as possible for people the next day, and smile. He kept his word and was very intentional the next day about adding value to other people. He proudly reported back to his grandfather that he had opened 42 doors, and smiled!

I share that example because, surely, if a nine-year-old can intentionally add value to others, we should be able to do the same.

Look for ways to add value when you are with people. This takes it one step further, you’re not only planning ahead, you’re acting in the moment. In other words, you’re intentionally looking for ways to add value to people, all the time.

Ask yourself at the close of every day, did I add value to people today. Adding value becomes so interwoven into the fabric of your being that you begin and end your day thinking about how you added value.

Encourage others to add value to people. Imagine being part of an organization where everyone intentionally focused on adding value to others. Wouldn’t that be a place we would all want to be, every day; wouldn’t that get us up in the morning?

As John asked his grandson, I’ll ask you. As an intentional leader, how will you add value to others tomorrow?