Discovering Your Values
Today I want to talk to you about one of my favorite topics, which is values. If you google the definition of values you will find they are a person’s principles or standards of behaviors, one’s judgment about what is important in life.
One of my all-time favorite books is called The Power of Full Engagement. Jim Loehr, the author, asks a really good question “how should I spend my energy in a way that is consistent with my deepest held values?“
Buy The Power Of Full Engagement
In order for you to answer that question, you would have to first know what your values are. This process is equal parts discovery and design. Discovery is uncovering the parts about you that you were born with. Design is creating the parts of yourself that you have control over. Understand that life is a mystery of nature and nurture. Learning what to discover and what to design can be daunting and yet is an integral part of the path towards self-mastery.
To elicit your value system and put it into practice we have created a simple eight-step process that is outlined below.
Step One
Download the Values List we have provided. This is an exhaustive list of all the values we were able to come up with.
Step Two
Grab a pen or pencil and comb through the list. Circle each word or value that stands out to you as important. The first time through don’t limit your selections. Continue to circle each one that means something or stands out to you.
Step Three
Go back through the values you have circled and start to consolidate them. Are there some words that mean the same thing to you? For example, maybe you circled both Courage and Power. Those two values can have similar meanings depending on who is working through the exercise. The goal is to eliminate values that are repetitive or can be combined.
Step Four
Continue working through Step Three until you have ultimately narrowed your list to five values.
Side Note: If you’re looking through the Values List and don’t find the one you want, just write it in on the bottom.
Remember the definition, values are a person’s principles or standards of behavior, one’s judgment of what is important in life.
Step Five
Once you’ve identified your top five values, download the second worksheet, which is the Wheel of Life. I’m sure at some point in your life you’ve done the wheel of life exercise or something comparable.
Step Six
Write each of your values inside of the blank circle around the Wheel of Life worksheet. Then go back to each one and ask yourself this question “on a scale from 1-10 how well do I embody or live this value?” You’ll notice under each value there is a score. Simply fill in the circle that corresponds with your score on each value. Next, connect the dots from all your values until you have completed the wheel.
Step Seven
Ask yourself the following questions.
Out of all of the values I could have chosen why did I choose these five?
What does each of these actually mean to me? For example, courage to me means…..
What is important to me about each one?
What is preventing me from living the value system that I believe is so important?
How can I practice each of my values in my everyday life?
Step Eight
Review. This is a deeply insightful tool, not one for shelf help. You should do this multiple times and review it daily. .Again, from the book, “The Power of Full Engagement”, the author writes “a virtue is a value and action.” Practice living your values to become a virtuous person so you can created your Freed Life.
Thanks for reading…
