What Do You Value?

©2012 Joan M Newcomb

As Essence, there are no ethics.  When you transcend the physical realm, there is no time, no space, and no good or bad.  Everything is joyous and expansive, there are no limitations.  The Universe creates from this space.

When we squeeze ourselves into this itty-bitty living space called a body, we encounter density and effort,  and gain an emotional compass which is set by our values.

Our core values are what we hold as important, it's how we make certain choices and why we may be unhappy in certain relationships or jobs.

It's useful to know what your top five values are, in order to make decisions and navigate yourself through life.

For instance, perhaps you went into accounting, because you had a core value of security and in your mind that meant having a secure job bringing a steady income.  And then you find yourself in a back office with your computer and software and a lot of facts and figures.  

Numbers are fun to play with, so initially you enjoyed yourself but after a while started getting depressed.  Because you have another core value, around communication, and in that back office there aren't any people to talk to!  

Post-it notes and quick emails or texts aren't doing it for you, so it's time to rethink your work requirements.  

Another area our values impact is relationships.  One partner may hold truth and honesty as their top three values.  The other partner, these are lower down on their own list.  But that person may have communication as number one, so they talk a lot.  Partner number one may initially feel they're being told everything, and later on discover partner number two "lies by omission".  This can create enormous conflict when trying to operate as a couple or in a business!  

Look at the areas of your life, personal relationship, family, work, play, etc.  Are there any that you are unsatisfied with?  Possibly these are out of balance with your core values.

Your values may be completely obvious to you, or you may be completely oblivious to them.  They may be so integral to you that you can't even see what they are.  And you expect the rest of the world to have the same ones!

Whenever you interact with people from different cultures, or visit other countries, you'll encounter a new set of values, some you'll agree with, and some you may not understand.  When you know this, it's easier to get along with everyone (or protect yourself in doing business with some)!

A playful way to figure out your values is to come up with a word list of different ones.  Then remember times in your life where you had strong motivation to do something or act in certain ways.  You can discover that a key value or values were what drove you to make your choices.

You feel happy when your life lines up with your core values.

So this week, I invite you to come up with five values that are important to you, and notice the areas of your life where you are living by them, and areas where they are missing.  It may only take baby steps in these areas in order to make drastic transformation!

Try this for seven days and see what happens!