What do you truly care about most? How do you decide whether to ‘invest’ in success, happiness or fulfilment? What ‘rules’ do you use to make important life and career decisions?
Most of humanity is wandering the earth with the capacity to define or create their Purpose and Values, yet very few individuals have taken the time to do so. Perhaps we are comfortable letting our Purpose/Values be subconscious motivators of our behaviour. Or we deem it presumptuous to take control of our own lives by clearly articulating and living our Purpose and Values.
Just as organisations strive to accurately articulate and live their values (some better than others!), individuals can also learn to thrive by discovering and living their values every day. Our list of ‘what we care about most’ can serve to guide critical decisions in our career and our lives.
Following a personal crisis and prolonged period of introspection, I discovered / created my own list of values which have served me very well over the last 7 years:
- Family (Love and Belonging)
- Health and Well-Being (physical, emotional, mental, spiritual)
- Life is Easy and Fun (adopted from my wife and sons)
- Honour the Evolution (my own, and everyone around me)
- Live Life Out Loud
- Creative and Financial Freedom
- Thirst for Knowledge
- Hunger for Experience
Values are very personal, there are no right or wrong answers. Consciously articulating your own values may bring newfound clarity to your life, and help you understand how these fit with the values of the organisations to which you belong.
