Values are the things that we find to be the most important to us in our lives. They are the ideals that you want to live by. Some examples include but are not limited to: knowledge, spirituality, power, security, ethics, family, social justice, growth, integrity, loyalty, compassion, health, wealth, religion, service to others, creativity, and many others I could name. Why are they so important? I think we can kind of see them as a guiding force in our lives that help us set our direction. Metaphorically, values are the wind and our goals are the sails of a ship. Values help us set goals to live an enjoyable life. If you are doing the things that are most important to you in your life then I would say that’s a pretty good life! Imagine looking through the values and you see health on there and saying of course health is important to me but then you take a look at your actions and you haven’t been to the doctor in a while, don’t eat real healthy, or get much exercise. Living a life out of sync with what we think is really important can cause problems. Knowing your values can also help you make decisions, especially if you have ranked your values. For example, you are trying to decide between two jobs and you have said family is your number one value then which job will allow you to spend more time with your family? Now you know why they are important, how do I figure them out? Keep reading the blog for Values part 2.
