Living by your values
I (Brittany) work both with the school district and as a masters student within mental health, which means this girl has the opportunity to attend so many PDs/conferences. I've been so fortunate and I wanted to take the time to talk about one topic that really shifted my way of thinking. It's a simple topic that really changes your whole life & it's something that as I am counselling, I hear people bring up time and time again. This is: values.
Living by your values is something SO many life coaches will scream and shout. And for once I'm all about this bandwagon, because it does ring true. If you are living within your values, then you are more likely to be happy and content with life, you are more likely to understand how to navigate conflicts, and you are more likely to be motivated in life.
Most of us have values. The problem comes down to two things:
- You haven't actually taken the time to explore what your core values are
- You are living by someone else's values and not your own
Your values are your core beliefs. The things that made you happy, satisfied, and motivated. They are who you in your deepest and truest form. Think of them as this foundation to your house that you can build upon OR this compass that can help guide you to things that are meaningful to you in life. When I did my own reflection on my own values, I realized a lot of my anger of frustrations, especially with other people, stemmed from not living within my values or someone conflicting with my values. Knowing this felt so empowering because I felt like I understood better and could make a clearer decision on how to move forward.
If you think about it, our values are embedded in so much of what we do. They tell us how to speak, what we watch, who we are friend with, how we make a living, and so much more. Knowing this and knowing our values can therefore allow us to make decisions better, both big and small. We can take the time to reflect and think "what is important to me?", "does the action I am about to take align with my values?". And guys this makes making decisions feel really good, because you are living a life that is consistent to who YOU are, not somebody else.
Values are allowed to change over time and we don't need to treat them as a commandment that MUST be lived by. As you grow and learn, it is natural for your values to grow and change.
Think of values as a guiding compass that you can turn to, and something to me maybe more aware and mindful of. And living within your values doesn't mean you will NEVER come across hard situations or uncomfortable moments. It's just one out of MANY ways that can help center ourselves and live within our preferences.
So with that, we are super excited to offer you something that will help you explore what your values are. We are giving you guys a FREE worksheet made by your truly to explore your values. It has been adapted from many other versions out there, so if you don't like our format it just takes a quick google and then your good to go! If you want to know more information or want to learn more about how to live within your values once you have identified them, let us know!
You can download it HERE.
Taa taa.
YWC
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