Connecting To Our Values
Values help us live with direction and purpose – like a guiding compass.
Starting afresh in a new role or perhaps a new year can be a good time to reconnect back to our values and a wonderful way to kick off planning what’s ahead.
So how do you want to be or feel in this new role or this year, no matter the outcome of your goals and aspirations?.
Values are like guiding lights or a set of trail markers toward living a life of meaning.
They are often states of mind, that are important to us and the center of who we are, often stated in abstract terms, for example: honesty, love, friendship, loyalty, fun, health, integrity, wealth, and freedom.
Values are the energy behind our goals – if goals are the destination, then values are what drive us towards them. Understanding what it will feel like when a goal is achieved is often more important to acknowledge than the physical goal itself. A great coaching question to help bring this out is “when you achieve this goal, what will it bring you?” The promising first time marathon runner will say “a sense of achievement,” the newly mindful of health will say “self-confidence,” and the parent thinking of the once in a lifetime family holiday will say “happiness.”
Values help us live with direction and purpose – like a guiding compass. Whatever is going on in our lives, our values can show us a path forward, and help us make better choices. Values are also intimately linked to our sense of self, and they're essential for our mental health.
How will I know I am living my values?
Setting and recommitting to our values is an annual practice that can bring joy and understanding to our lives and set us up for a purposeful new role or new year ahead.
How about using the opportunity of a change in your personal or professional life to either elicit or revisit your values by asking questions such as:
How do you want to feel in the next 12 months?
What values are most important for me to fulfill?
How will I know I am living my values?
Living your values on a daily basis is a powerful pathway to authenticity and happiness. When you align your actions, choices, and behaviours with your deeply held values, you experience a sense of congruence and integrity within yourself. Think about finding a daily habit that allows you to revisit at least one of your values every day.
Living your values means to be the most authentic version of yourself in all aspects of your life.