Want to create your best life? Live your values.
Knowing and living your values is essential to consciously creating a fulfilling and meaningful life.
Your values are at the core of who you are – they define your unique versions of success, fulfillment and joy.
Your values connect you with a sense of purpose and direction, and they can help you prioritize your goals and focus your energy on the things that matter most to you.
Your values are your inner compass. They will not lead your astray.
Too often, we live our lives and make choices from other people's values. We take the job that we think will impress our friends or family. We follow the crowd when we really want to try something altogether different.
We stay small, we play it safe, and we make ourselves miserable.
We ignore our own wants, needs and passions because we want to fit in or are afraid of disappointing others or rocking the boat. Sometimes, living our values means we need to make some significant changes.
It's natural and healthy to want to belong.
But in order to find true belonging, first we MUST belong to ourselves.
When we have a clear understanding of our values, we can make decisions with confidence and purpose. Knowing our values can also help us create boundaries to protect ourselves from those who don’t share our values, or simply aren't a good fit for the person we want to become.
Knowing our values can also provide us with a sense of self-worth and contentment.
When things in our lives start feeling "off" or "wrong" for us – it's a pretty good indicator that we aren't living in alignment with our values. Pay attention to how certain situations, places and people make you feel. Do you feel free? Do you feel open and expansive, or tight and constrained?
Are you acting naturally, or do you feel like you're playing a character for the benefit and comfort of others?
Pay attention – and when you're ready, start making some changes. It might not be easy, and some people in your life may not love the changes you're making. As hard as it is, let them go. When they leave, they will open up space in your life for people who are more aligned with your authentic self.
Ultimately, knowing your values is the most powerful tool for making decisions with clarity, purpose and confidence. Your values are the foundation of who you are, so it’s important to take the time to identify, understand, and live them.
