Have you taken the time to uncover and understand your core values? Often it may be a significant life challenge that prompts us to contemplate our core values on a deep level and understand their influence and ability to support us through life's ups and downs.
Whether or not we are currently experiencing challenges, understanding our core values has a powerful positive impact on our wellbeing. It pays to be proactive and do this invaluable self-development work as soon as we can, and keep revisiting our values understandings as we grow. As a quick introduction, here are the top 5 things I've learnt about values:
1. Living in accordance with your values leads to fulfilling authentic happiness
“Values are your hearts deepest desire for how you want to behave – how you want to treat yourself, others and those around you” (Harris, 2019, p. 212)
Values are the bedrock of “psychological flexibility” which refers to mindful, values guided action. If we have high psychological flexibility we are more likely to live a rich and meaningful life.
2. Our values influence us - whether or not we are aware of them
Everything we think, say, decide and do is influenced by our values, including our responses to others. We each inherently believe that our own values are good, true in all situations and are relevant to everyone – this can trigger strong emotional reactions when someone doesn’t share your core values.
“Values are like fingerprints. Nobody's are the same, but you leave 'em all over everything you do” - Elvis Presley
3. Our values have a powerful impact on our self-esteem
We feel uncomfortable or bad about ourselves if we are acting outside our core values and we feel good about ourselves when we are acting in alignment with our core values. However if we are unaware of our values we may not clearly understand exactly WHY we are feeling good or bad about ourselves
4. Our values can support us when times are tough In the world today we are witnessing many triggering acts that may be in strong contrast with our core values. This can lead to a range of painful and energy depleting emotional reactions. Feeling powerless is a common result. After allowing time for self-compassion, it can be powerful to check in with your core values, understand what has been triggered and then decide what values aligned actions you are going to take for yourself and demonstrate within your circle of loved ones.
5. Our values help us make decisions when we're feeling lost or directionless.
Values guide our choices in life. They can help us to make challenging decisions as they free us from the expectations placed on us by others and society. Establishing our core values enables us to:
Access greater levels of willpower and grit
Safeguard ourselves from negative influences
Take meaningful action in our lives
"Your core values provide the compass that keeps you moving in the right direction" - Susan David
If you've not yet delved into the powerful self-development work of understanding your values, it may be the wellbeing ingredient you're searching for. Coaching can support you to explore your values, gain a deep understanding of the life or career direction that will bring you meaning and purpose and, importantly, get you moving!
Yours in compassion and courage,
Laura
Learn more and book a free discovery call here
(References: Caserta Gon and Rahal, 2020; David, 2022; Harris, 2019; Truempy, 2015)