Friday 11 October 2013

Change - Values

When you are changing something in yourself or your life it helps to look at your values. Values are the guiding principles of life. The goals that you have should be supported by values that are important to you. Say, for instance that you have a goal of getting fit and losing weight. If you don't have health as one of your top 5 values then you might give up fairly easily and thus not achieve your goal. However, if you do have health in your top 5, then because your values are aligned with your goal then you are much more likely to achieve your goal. The best way to find out your top 5 values is to find a list of values and then go through them rating them between 1 and 10, where 1 is not at all important and 10 being most important. Then pick the top 5 from those values you have rated as 10. Sometimes it's a bit difficult to get down to 5 but try just the same. (If you email me I will send you a list of values.)

Knowing what your values are and how you have them in your life helps you to make decisons. When it comes to making a decision you can ask yourself the question, "Does this action uphold my values?" In the same vein, if you have set a goal and know the values that go with that goal, then you can ask yourself, "Does this action uphold the values and help me to achieve the goal?". If not, then don't do it.

An important aspect of values is how you live them or have them in your life. For example, different people might live their spirituality value in different ways. One might see it as being religious and attending church, while another may meditate and attend the Mind, Body, Spirit Festival. So living your values is where your individuality comes in.

It is good to review your values every couple of years since they do change over time. And knowing your values that are guiding your life will help you to make better decisions and to achieve your goals.

                                       Visit my website at http://www.directionscoaching.net.au