Why you need to know your values before you turn your life around

When was the last time you felt happy? Or do you go about your day with a painted-on smile, telling everyone you're fine but, deep down, that couldn't be further from the truth?

You'd be amazed how many people just like you are also struggling. Feeling lost, helpless and stuck, it seems like there's no way out. This. Is. It. Over and over, I see people focusing on the bad: there's no meaning to life, there's no purpose to life, everything has faded to dull and grey.

As you scroll through social media you feel like others are so lucky. They have everything you dream of. Week after week you wake up feeling dread. Then, the longer you have negative feelings, the more you wonder if you even deserve change.

But you do.

You deserve to be happy

You deserve happiness, fulfilment, joy and inner peace and, with the help of a coach, you can start the process of living again right now.

Individuals from all walks of life decide to start coaching for many different reasons. Some feel life has nothing left to offer them, with their career plateauing or grown children flying the nest. Others are burnt out from busy lives lived 24/7, 356 days a year. Some are even so anxious and depressed, it's negatively impacting their health. A trained coach can help them all. But how?

Well, firstly – by a bit of thinking. Amazingly, one of the first things you can do to start turning your life around is to sit and think. Not about the bad times, or how unhappy you are right now - that can and will change. It's time to think about your values.

What are values?

Values are your core, fundamental beliefs; the things most important to you. And there's a reason I'm asking you to have a think about what your values are.

I’ll start by telling you a little something about me. One of my key values is freedom and choice. I also hate being stuck in traffic. It makes me unbelievably angry and irritated. Stuck in traffic, boxed in by other cars and unable to move, my value of freedom and growth is being trampled on. Having this value attacked makes me feel angry. Having your values attacked may make you feel sad, anxious or tearful.

When your values are compromised by external factors, your inner self is suffocated, and that naturally expresses itself in negative emotions. Identifying your values and making the link between them and situations that leave you feeling negative is one of the most important steps you can take towards positivity.

Look at the sky. It might be grey; it might not. If it is, it'll last a while - then the sun will come out. The sun can come out over you too - so what are you waiting for?

The struggle stops now. You don't need to live like this any longer.

You deserve:

• To re-discover yourself. To replace misery with meaning. To rekindle those passions, joys and feelings of peace.
• To change. You're still you, and the old "you" is still in there - they just need to come out of their shell.
• The reward of being able to enjoy life again, from the little things to your biggest passions.

If you're interested in finding out your core values as the first step in turning your life around, coaching can help.

Your life can and will get better. You can change your life.