A Value is a measure of worth or importance a person’s place on something. Your personal values act like a compass guiding you towards your true north. Sometimes we make decisions that knock us off course and before we know it, we are heading in a direction that causes us to feel “off”, misaligned. Stay off the path for too long and you might wake up one day and wonder how you got this life you are living.
Some say, this is the natural journey of life. You get lost so you can find yourself again. Once you have lost something, only then can you understand the value of it.
So, discovering your values feels like coming home. You become grounded and clear. Your values inform your beliefs, behaviours and decisions, who you hang around with, the companies you work for and the life you build.
Everyone has a different set of values and meaning attached to them. For example, one of my values is freedom. What freedom means to me might be very different to what it means to you and how you use it to fuel your life.
When your work aligns with your values, everything seems in flow and just right in the world. You feel like you were born for this work and that you are lucky to have found it.
When you work against your values, you feel in conflict, disharmony and stress. You are easily influenced or say yes when you really want to say no. You fail to consciously assert your boundaries and do what you think is right, rather than doing the right thing. Knowing your values is the first step to self-awareness.
Your inner compass
Positives
Negatives
We have all had to make choices, and sometimes don't know why the choice is so hard.
Throughout your life, you will have to make decisions. Each one has a benefit and a cost to you. Think of them like standing at a cross road and trying to decide which route to take. Reflect on these questions.
Think of a time when you had to make a life changing decision.
Did you follow the path that felt right, the one your intuition nudged you towards?
Did you take the easiest path?
Do you seek advice from others and do what they thought best based on their values or views of the world?
Think of a time you took a stand for something important to you, even if it meant upsetting, disappointing or worrying others.
What was driving you to take that stand?
Why was it so important for you?
Think of a time when you chose to do something that you knew didn’t feel right.
How did it show up in your body?
What thoughts occupied your mind?
What caused you to take a different path?
We all have experience to draw from. Sometimes we feel that others have power over us and we must follow their decisions or advice, a parent, a boss, a friend. Reflect and learn from those moments. They give you information on your core values.
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