Sometimes when we are working on creating a plan or vision for our lives we can get paralyzed with not knowing what to do, what direction to move in, what we actually want, how we want to feel.
You can’t make goals or plans with clarity if you haven’t taken the time to know what you value.
Our values are central to what matters to us, what drives us, how we get fulfillment.
Discovering and defining our positive values, and then using them to empower our lives, and give us direction is an essential part of creating a life that is authentic, aligned, and joyful.
Positive values are ones built on healthy self-esteem and a belief that value can be accessed and harnessed to meet goals and plans. Having a value that is built around lack or limiting beliefs will not be of service. Shifting mindset and energy around a value can be very transformational.
Some examples of values are: growth, love and connection, gratitude, faith, strength, success, freedom, generosity. There are many values to consider and you know yourself best, so when you are considering values, go with what comes up for you first and then refine later.
A few questions that may help in your exploration:
What is most important to you in life?
Who do you admire and why?
When were you the happiest?
What kind of stories touch you deeply?
Once you have identified your key values, find three or four to focus on, you can start intentionally crafting your daily life, goals, work, play, and relationships around them.
Consider journaling around these values and how living them purposefully impacts your life.
There is much more about values and living a life of meaning and purpose in my book Before You Go.