Values-Based Living

It's the last day of January, which means if you made any New Year's Resolutions, you may have already faltered. Which is totally ok. It is very sweet to think about what our resolutions as hopes for us to be our best selves, but unfortunately part of being human means we cannot be our best selves all of the time. So, as a check in, where are you at with any goals you made? Are you being kind to yourself if you're not where you wanted to be? Did you pass your goal and push the goal post further?

That's the hard part about goal-based living. Once we succeed, we have a hard time seeing what it took to get there and before we know it, we're on to the next goal. I actually have an alternative for this to offer you. Living your life by your values. That means that you can reach goals, sure, but no matter what, you're guided by what's important to you. That creates meaning in your life. What are some of your top values? Respect? Love? Family? Comfort? Health?

We can't focus on all our values at once, so I want to offer you a Values Sort Tool to help you identify what some of your top values are. As you fill this out, try to listen to yourself and click which values you truly have and not what you think you should have. This is only for you and your self discovery.

After you fill this out, you can ask yourself, in what ways am I living my life by my values? In what ways am I not living my life by my values? This can be a guiding star for you as you navigate difficult situations, because sometimes living by our values isn't easy, but it is what makes us feel true to ourselves.

As always, take what is helpful and leave the rest. I hope you have the week you need.