Know thy self - know your values

Quote “Your habits become your thoughts your thoughts become your values, your values become your destiny” ~ Mahatma Gandhi  What is a value?

A value is a moral principle or accepted standard of a person or group, and a principle is the distinction between good and bad or right and wrong. These distinctions about right and wrong are made by us - the value and principle holders.

Your values define, to an extent, who you are, and how you will relate to the world around you and the people in it. Values are the part of your identity. Personal values are at the core of our being and we hold on to them tightly.

What are your Values?

You can get a feel for your values by thinking about the things that always make you happy or angry, for example, bad manners, being late, honesty, hard work and so on. Think about a really great day that you experienced. What was it that made it so great for you?  What do you want people to remember you for? Your generosity, your loyalty or whatever it is that’s important to you.

Here are a few examples of values that might be important to you. You can add your own values to this list. Variety, security, contentment, recognition, respect, freedom, stability, independence, honesty, sincerity, friendship, self -respect.

Knowing your values will help to:

• Find your direction
• Choose the right job, relationship
• Make the right decisions
• Find a sense of purpose

Check out your values

By finding out what is important to us we can discover our values. This may be helpful to you when looking for a new direction in life, a new relationship or a new job. For example,

If one of your values is social enterprise don’t become a banker. When looking for new jobs think about your values and how they fit with the values of the organisation, a poor fit may lead to tension.

List the values that are important to you. Add some values that you wish to have to your list as well as the ones that you already have. Think about the different areas of your life, including work and personal life. Ask yourself the following questions:

What’s important to have?

What’s nice to have?

What’s not important?

What’s important to avoid?

Once you have identified your values. Consider which are the top 3-5 most important to you. Now consider if these top values are being met at in each of the areas of your life. Values can change so it is worth reviewing values from time to time. If you want to change your life you will need to take some action.

Top tips

• When you have worked out your values make sure that your goals are aligned with  your values
• Stand up for your values, live your life by your values. Next time you need to make a decision ask yourself how it will affect my core values
• Develop your action plan to achieve your goals