WHEN YOU MAKE A CHOICE, WHAT DO YOU BASE IT ON? WHEN YOU FEEL SOMETHING IS MISSING, WHAT IS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE VOID? WHEN YOU FEEL CONFLICTED WHEN MAKING A DECISION, DO YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT TRIGGERS THE DISCOMFORT?
Values influence the choices you make as well as how you feel after you had made them. They are the principles of you behaviour. They are your judgement criteria of what is important in life. They give you direction and set boundaries for how far you are prepared to go while staying true to yourself. They initiate an emotional response in you – positive when they are honoured, negative when they are dismissed. They build up between your early years up to the early twenties and remain usually fairly stable throughout your lives. They are the essence of who you are. Their combination makes you unique but also draws you to people and places that share your values.
Whether you want to find more inner peace, become a more authentic leader or make a positive impact, it’s worth reflecting and clarifying your values. Once you know what your principles and boundaries are, you can then plan how you want to portray them and what trade-offs you are prepared to accept.
Sometimes we identify a value we hold, only when we notice a negative emotion, when we feel something is missing or is not being honoured, when we feel uncomfortable, angry, or outraged. Sometimes we realise them through pivotal life or work experiences, the states of flow, or by encountering significant others on our way. These experiences and reflections come to form themes that translate into a sense of conviction that there is a particular path we should take. It may not always be a smooth path, as being true to oneself may come at a cost.
I have taken a closer look at my values over the last two weeks – it has taken a couple of exercises, reflection on the situations that made me feel most fulfilled, some coaching conversations.
These are my core values:
* Learning/Curiosity
* Growth/Challenge
* Purpose-led/Significance
* Autonomy
* Responsibility
— WHAT ARE YOURS? —
If you are not sure, it’s easier to partner with someone to clarify them than wrestle with this question on your own, let’s have a conversation!