Values
Knowing what matters in your life can guide your behaviors!
Values
Exercises:
Values Compass
When we feel lost in the woods or the sea of our thoughts and feelings, we can turn to our values. They are like a compass or lighthouse leading the way. Can you use your values compass now?
Inventory of Barriers
In this moment, ask yourself…what is standing between me, my values and the ACTions I have committed to? Thoughts? Feelings? See if you can take an inventory, one-by-one acknowledging their presence and connecting to your freedom to choose.
Commit to ACTion
Consider a few core areas of life that may be important to you (health, spirituality, connection to others, work, educaiton, etc). Consider what actions right now would be consistent with those values. How does this connect to what you are experiencing now?
Author of Your Author
You are the author of your life. You get to decide how the story is written - what you and your life stands for. In this moment, what do you want to be about -- what do you want to stand for?
Moving Towards Values
Take a moment to think about your values -- what you want your life to stand for. How can you express your values right now, in this moment?
Know What Matters
Deep in your heart, what do you want your life to be about? What truly matters to you? Values are like a compass that gives us direction and guides our journey. Write out a list of the first five values that come to mind, and then for each say, “I want to be the kind of person who…”. Eg. “I want to be the kind of person who is a loyal friend.”
Turning 80
Imagine it is your 80th birthday: two or three people make a speech about what you stand for, what you mean to them and what role you played in their life. In the IDEAL world, what would you want to hear them say?
Role Models
Think about someone who you look up to. Can you put your finger on the specific qualities they have that make you respect and admire them? Does this tell you something about your own values?
When we have difficult thoughts and feelings, there is almost always something that we care about close by. For example, if we are experiencing fears of rejection, we probably care about relationships and being with other people. They are 2 sides of the same coin, and you can't get rid of the difficult thoughts and feelings without giving up something that you deeply care about. Right now, you might want to get rid of pain, but what would you be giving up?
What's On The Other Side of The Coin?