A value is something that you believe to be fundamentally important. When we honour our values, it can give us a real sense of purpose. They not only motivate us to take action but the action that is right for us. Ignoring or disrespecting them makes us feel stuck, stressed and frustrated.
When we honour our values and live our life by them they give us a sense of purpose and make us feel alive. They can motivate us not only to take action but the right action. When we ignore them or have someone disrespect one of them we are likely to feel stuck, stressed and frustrated. Whether we are faced with big life choices or simply making everyday decisions when we use our values at the heart of our decision making then it points us towards a fulfilled life.
Exercise: From the following list, write down as many of the words that are important to you. Do this instinctively and do not choose words that you feel you “should” choose.
- Achievement
- Advancement
- Adventure
- Affection
- Arts
- Challenges
- Change
- Close relationships
- Community
- Competence
- Competition
- Cooperation
- Country
- Creativity
- Decisiveness
- Democracy
- Economic security
- Family
- Friendship
- Growth
- Helping others
- Honesty
- Independence
- Influencing
- Inner harmony
- Integrity
- Intellectual status
- Knowledge
- Leadership
- Location
- Loyalty
- Pleasure
- Power
- Privacy
- Recognition
- Religion
- Reputation
- Responsibility
- Security
- Self respect
- Serenity
- Stability
- Status
- Time
Now, looking at all the values you selected, pick the top 10 from your list and see if you can put those 10 in order of highest priority, ranking them from 1 to 10 with 1 being the most important.
Are you honouring each value in your life right now?
What changes might need to happen to ensure that you are honouring this value in the future?
Again, think about what decisions you may need to take in order to more closely align yourself with your key values and honour them in your life.