Are you also a black sheep? For most of us, the idea of being a black sheep has a negative connotation. The black sheep of the family (or office) is often interpreted as an outcast or someone who is difficult to work with. Yet, everyone is wrong! Those of us who are black sheep are people steadfast in our principles. Our objections stem from VALUES that we uphold, we do not accept mediocrity, and we are not where the wind blows.

The only problem is that we have not understood our uniqueness. We do not know WHAT OUR UNALTERABLE CORE PRINCIPLES ARE THAT GOVERN OUR LIVES. The same goes for most people. They do not know what values underpin all their choices. The author leads us step by step to find our CORE VALUES, which are the foundation of our LIFE PURPOSE and our main MISSION.

What is the purpose of our lives? Do we live and let whatever happens happen? No. We all have a purpose, a mission, but we do not know how to find it. Purpose is superior to survival and is the source of our true happiness. However, we have been taught to seek the why behind our actions. This path does not lead us anywhere. To accurately define our why, we must start with the what.

What are our non-negotiable elements? What are your core values, meaning what values build our foundation, those that no matter what someone says or how much someone tries to influence us, cannot be altered, dyed (like the hair of the black sheep), or changed? These core values are our black sheep.

Finding our black sheep values—the unique combination that makes us stand out from everyone else on the planet—empowers us to live our truth, to be our 100% authentic, exceptional selves. When we discover the black sheep, we create the opportunity to choose when and where our core values will appear.

In order to keep track of their flocks, shepherds place one black sheep for every hundred white sheep. Every morning a shepherd wakes up and looks at all the sheep in the field. If he is taking care of five hundred sheep, he should see five black sheep. If he does not see those five, he knows something is wrong. Although they are not valued like the white sheep, the black sheep are the ones the shepherd looks at first. Like you, their uniqueness allows them to stand out.

“What the eyes see and the ears hear, the mind believes.” Understanding this, you begin to sense why placing your black sheep at the center of your life and bringing them to the forefront is important. Your perception of the world is shaped by what you believe.

When you strategically choose when (that is, at which moments) and where (in which situations) your black sheep will appear, you help shape the narrative that other people constantly create about you, and you maximize your impact on them. This is why you need to start with the WHAT. The WHAT is your core-basic values, which govern your WHY, that is your purpose, which defines your HOW, that is your mission, the actions you take to realize that purpose.

It looks something like this: WHAT = CORE VALUES WHY = PURPOSE HOW = MISSION. It may seem strange as I write it, but by reading the book, each of us will have identified no more than 5 core values that we would not change for any reason. We do this unconsciously, but when we are confused about them, we feel bad. That is, we feel bad whenever we do not act on our core values. However, since we have not clarified them, we cannot articulate what makes us feel bad.