THE VALUE OF VALUES

WHAT ARE VALUES?

The dictionary definition of values is principles or standards of behaviour; one's judgement of what is important in life.

I like to think of individual values as the elements we believe are important in the way we live and work. Our values help us to determine our priorities and to make decisions, as well as being the measures we use to tell if our lives are moving in the direction we want them to. When what we do and how we behave match our individual values, we tend to feel satisfied and content. We feel "in the flow". When our values are not aligned with what we are doing we can feel unbalanced and frustrated, even angry.

WHY ARE VALUES IMPORTANT?

The combination of values we each hold will be unique to us. Our values are connected to our beliefs and will have built up over time from the experiences and influences in our lives. Some may come from the family we grew up in, others from social influences (like our peers). Significant life events can impact our values, as can religion and culture.

Our values can govern how we experience things, and they underpin our responses and behaviours. Having a sense of what our values are can help us make sense of who we are and why we do things we do. It can also make us more aware of what values other people might hold and can be instrumental in empathising with others.

Understanding our own values can be useful when:

• We are thinking about a change of career, but don't know where to start

• We are facing a big decision and could really do with some help on how to make it

• We are feeling uncomfortable or out of sorts, and can't quite put our finger on why

• We struggle to get on with someone but don't really understand why

HOW CAN I UNDERSTAND WHAT MY INDIVIDUAL VALUES ARE?

There are many ways to explore our individual values. To get a quick sense of your own values, try this exercise:

• Read through the list of individual values below.

• Mark or write down the values that speak to you. Don't spend too much time thinking about it. Go with your intuition, and just mark everything that resonates with you.

• Is there something missing? Add on any words and values that come to your mind that you don't find in the list.

• Now go through the list again, and put a second mark against the 5 most important values to you.

• Finally rank your selected list of 5 values from 1 (most important) to 5 least important.

Looking at your list, how might these values have shaped your behaviour, decisions and responses to recent events?

How might you use this list of values to help you with any forthcoming decisions?

THE VALUE OF VALUES

Our individual values can be thought of as a deep and internal treasure trove that compresses and expands as life takes you on its many adventures. Our values help us to grow and develop. Understanding what values we value most unlocks our energy and takes us a step further to creating the future we want to experience.