What’s the last thing that really ticked you off? I’m talking about the kind of upset that triggered you and had you ruminating on the situation for days. Distressing situations offer clues about who you are and what you value. Your values are your personal set of operating life principles that hold keys to your happiness, satisfaction, and life purpose. They influence your reactions, feelings, and your behavior. They also are the pair of glasses that you put on every day to view the world. Living in alignment with your core values, helps you to feel energized, confident, and optimistic.
3- Step Value Definition:
- On a sheet of paper make two columns. Title them “Pet Peeves” and” Values.”
- In column one, write down your top three pet peeves. What makes you feel angry or annoyed? What circumstances do you find yourself in that automatically make you prickle? Here is my personal example: procrastination, people who do not keep their word, people who are late.
- In column two, write down the opposite of these pet peeves. My example: action, integrity accountability, responsibility, and timeliness because being late means that you think your time is more important than that of the person who you kept waiting.
My clients often find this process very illuminating and use it as a quick check-in when they are feeling out of sorts about a situation or person. Knowing what you value will help you to determine how you spend your time and resources while keeping yourself out of long-term situations that create internal havoc.
If you are interested in defining your values so that you can live in alignment with your core beliefs, schedule a complimentary 30-minute discovery session.
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