THE VALUE OF YOUR VALUES

 

A core value could be anything that is of importance to you, be it time, friendship, integrity, or being in nature.  

GROWTH

It has always been important for me to grow as a person. I believe this to be why we are put on this earth. Growth can encompass things that I learn that changes the way I view the world, things that push my comfortable boundaries. Working out is a value that fits under the heading of growth. Working out has become important to me since I was a chubby high schooler. It’s not just something I have to do. It's paramount to my physical and mental well-being, as well as filling me with self-confidence. When I work out, I feel powerful and strong. It’s a heady feeling. Education feeds my intellect. I need the intellectual stimulation of an in-depth conversation, or a fascinating course. I continually grow in my writing, whether it’s the type of research I have to do, or if it’s a new way to approach my next book. There’s always something new to take on to master my craft and help me to grow.

INTEGRITY

Having integrity means that you live in accordance to your deepest values, you're honest with everyone, and you always keep your word. I have always tried to be honest with others and myself. As a writer, honesty is my friend when it comes to feedback about my work in progress. Being kind will not help me be a better writer. Although, you can be kind and honest. That’s the best scenario. I appreciate it when a friend can be honest with me. It helps me to grow as a person. And we know that growth is an important value for me. In fact, I have found that being honest with another has deepened that friendship. When I do anything dishonest, a bell goes off in my head. It knows right from wrong. It guides me toward integrity. I work hard at writing with integrity on any topic, be it a character or situation. I like to get inside of a thing and know it for what it is, or, at least, imagine it for what it is. I think I would add authenticity to this as well. When a person has integrity, it means they are being authentic with me. I don’t want to pretend to be anything other than who I am. All of me turns up in any relationship. 

CONNECTION

Connection has always been an important part of my life. Be it time with friends, family, nature or even time to connect with myself. In fact I never realized how much I missed being connected with friends until Covid hit and I was parted from them for months at a time. Being connected with people fills my heart, my soul, my intellect, and brings me untold joy. Thank goodness for nature during this difficult time. It has kept me sane and calmed my worried thoughts. Not only that, I love, love, love, having hiking adventures in Algonquin Park because it’s challenging, and knowing that I can accomplish a difficult hike, is empowering, and a huge confidence builder. Human beings were meant to be in harmony with nature, it brings us back to ourselves. Covid has brought that home to us big time. Finally, I need time every day to connect with myself. If I don’t have that, I lose sight of who I am.

WHAT NOW?

The most important thing I have learned about knowing what your core values is that when you know what’s important to you, it makes it easier to make decisions in your life. For example, if you are offered a promotion that will take you away from your family on a regular basis, and one of your core values is time with family, you might think twice about taking that job.

It’s been quite an exercise determining what my three core values are. I have known about them on some level, but I’ve never narrowed them down like I did while writing this post, and I have never once considered using these values as a guide when I make decisions. I now believe that knowing who you are and what’s important will help to make decisions clear, and guilt free.

What core values did you come up with?

HOW TO DETERMINE YOUR VALUES:

I have included this link of possible values: https://www.psychcompany.com/values-list/  There are others. Go through the list and circle the ones that feel right for you. Then narrow your search down to three core values, keeping in mind that some of the values may fit under one of the three headings like I did with mine, indicated by the bold type.