Thursday 18 April 2013

V is for Values

It's week twenty-two of Alphabe-Thursday!

V is for Values...

I once came across an exercise that asked me to list my core values, and as I'm dedicated to really knowing myself, I quickly set about creating my list. It proved to be a wonderful experience for me because I learnt so much about my priorities in life.

Values are like the guideposts of our lives. Once we know what we value above all else we are able to make decisions and create the life that feels right for us. Knowing my values gave me a clarity I'd never had before - from my list I was able to acknowledge what drives me and why I am who I am. It was fascinating!

Making a core values list can set us on our true path. It can bring us powerful insights and the motivation to go out there and achieve our goals. Knowing what matters most to us means we can make the best of the lives we're living and use our time productively. We can choose careers, relationships, lifestyles etc that fit in with our priorities.

Exercises like the one I discovered ask us to make a long list of any value that speaks to us. Then we need to narrow the list down to those values that mean the most. This can be a time-consuming exercise, but it's very rewarding. When we put our values in order we can instantly see a blueprint of our personality traits and our desires in life. For example - someone who values success the most might be career-driven, while someone who put intimacy at the top might give most of their attention to their relationships with others.

I managed to narrow my own list to ten top values. They are -

Love
Joy
Connection
Making a difference
Personal Development
Freedom
Compassion
Creativity
Spirituality 
Inner Harmony

Whenever I feel lost or unsure of myself, I bring my values to mind so I can make sure I'm living from a place of love and joy first and foremost. I make sure my values are being met through my work, my relationships, and my life in general. If one of my values no longer fits me then I can consciously change it for another. My values allow me to always live from my truth.

What are your values?

7 comments:

  1. You've got a great set of values. I get most of mine from the Bible, and they're pretty much the same as yours.

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  2. That's a hard exercise. I guess I value my family the most. But that doesn't that up a lot of my time, since I don't have children. {:-D

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  3. Not an easy job ... My set of values is first of all my 2 children, my grandson, my daughther in law and son in law, love, friendship, communication, listening and hearing others (for me these 2 words are different)...
    Louise Mamet

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  4. Values should always include integrity, truth, and honesty.

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  5. Great V post for internal inspection...While mine are Christ based, I do think they have shifted as my experiences/situations have impacted me. And they are all inter-related. Happy Week-end♥

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  6. What a shame our respective countries don't have these values.

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  7. THis is such a Valuable tool...

    Making a difference in other people's lives is one of my core Values...

    Thank you for such a great post for the letter V...

    Victorious job!

    A+

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