One of the exercises I do with my clients centers around understanding what their values are. I have a list of 150 values to choose from (family, spirituality, work, money, equanimity, leadership, etc). People work to dwindle the list down to ten values and we eventually rank them based on how important they are in their life and again on how satisfied they are with these values in their life.
Some people show incredible congruency by choosing a certain value as the most important value in their life as well as the value they are most satisfied with. Some people are the opposite and a lot are in between.
It is my belief that a value driven life is what helps us achieve our goals and live a full and flourishing life. When you notice yourself being out of sync, anxious, frustrated, etc, it is often because you are living in a way that is not reflective of your values, regardless of what life is handing you at that time.
My challenge to you for this week is to be reflecting on what it is you truly value. Are you living a life that is reflective of your values or are you just doing whatever it is you think you have to be doing? If you want extra points, you can even create a list of your top ten values and rank how satisfied you are with them. Find ways you can act on these values and live a life in a way that gets you closer to these.
