Monday, February 15, 2016

Defining your Values part 2



val·ue
a person's principles or standards of behavior; one's judgment of what is important in life.
"they internalize their parents' rules and values"

                       synonyms:principles, ethics, moral code, morals, standards, code of behavior
"society's values are passed on to us as children"

Importance of Values:
Barrie Davenport states, "Your core values are the guiding principles of your life that help you determine your behavior, words, and actions." Values provide guidelines for your life and help in making decisions. They will help you be better prepared to make decisions. 
For example, For me - Work calls and asks me to come in. On my list of values are family time. If my work is going to disrupt my family time radically, then I will probably say no. My family time is more "Valuable" to me than, finances or career, at this time in my life. 

How to find Values that are important to you:

STEP 1.
From this list of values select the ten that are most important to you or if you have one that's not on the list add it 
or if you need more suggestions, take a look at these lists of values from other sites.



Authenticity
Accountability
Achievement
Adaptability
Attitude
Balance  
Caring
Commitment
Community
Compassion
Competence
Learning
Courage
Creativity
Enthusiasm
Environmental
Efficiency
Ethics
Excellence
Fairness
Faith
Family
Finances
Forgiveness
Friendships
Generosity
Health
Honesty
Humility
Freedom
Making a difference
Peace
Patience
Perseverance
Personal fulfillment
Personal growth
Power
Recognition
Reliability
Respect
Simplicity
Spirituality

Step 2. 

Examine why these are so important to you so you can see how they influence your behaviors. 
Think on values that you would want your child to have or values that were meaningful in your childhood.
Example: As a child, my family and I rarely had dinners together, so as an adult, family dinners (family time) are something I value. 
These will change over time - so don't worry - they aren't set in stone. As you grow and change, your priorities will change too. What was important to me when I was in college is not what is important to me now.

Step 3. 

Now that you have picked out 10 that speak to you, put them in the order of importance to you.
This may help you narrow it down to 5 to 7 values. 

Application of Values: Step 4.

Try this great suggestion from Wiki How  - 
"Test your values by looking at the decisions they produce." 
This test will work in either real or imagined decision-making situations. Say you value independence, and you're considering moving in with your significant other. What sorts of options are available to you, given your value? If you value rest and spontaneity, but you work a job that requires 70-hour weeks, how will you avoid stress and internal conflict? In these types of situations, understanding your values can really help make creative decisions that reflect your own self-care[10]
Be aware that you will be able to see your value in action most powerfully while making a real decision. Sometimes we are so enamored with a particular value that we imagine it will always lead us to the best decisions when this is not necessarily the case."


Step 5. 
Now that you know what is important to you and how you want to respond to the world around you, you can start creating your life purpose statement.



Related Posts in this Series


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