In last week’s post, I encouraged you to connect your goals to what you value and what makes you feel alive and engaged and fulfilled. How? There’s a 3 step process in that post but here’s the short version:

  1. Write a list of experiences that made you feel alive, energized and engaged and/or fulfilled.
  2. Look at your experiences of feeling fulfilled and alive. What values do you see in your experiences?
  3. Do the core values you wrote down in Step 2 show up in your goals?

If you didn’t get a chance to do this exercise, I encourage you to go to the blog and do so, even if you only have 15 minutes, give it a try.

Today, you’ll take what you learned about yourself one step deeper.

How Do Values Show Up?

For each value you identified as important to you, consider how it shows up in your life. Write each Value down and then make a list of activities, practices or habits that you currently do that honors each value.

First, a true confession. I have a hard time choosing one word, one value, as there are similar words or values that also resonate or are related. So I create value groups,  for example: NATURE-AWE-BEAUTY-WONDER. 

Or you could define a value by using other value words, as in CARING means treating people with KINDNESS, COMPASSION, DIGNITY and in a way they want to be treated.

So, if you’re struggling to choose the right word, give yourself permission to create a group or define the value using other value words.

Write down your list and then ask: How much are your daily or weekly activities supporting your values? 

If the value shows up everyday then you could rate it as always or a 10, or if it shows up often that might be a 7 or often, some values may show up rarely, very rarely or never. This is not about beating yourself up, this is not about shame, this practice is about awareness. 

If your values are showing up always or often, great, what habits can you create to keep yourself on track? Are you using these values to help you set goals?

If you find that your values show up rarely, very rarely or never, you can check that the values you chose are the ones you want or you can see this as an opportunity to shift your activities to be more in alignment.

What’s one thing you can do this week to better align your day or week to honor what you value? 

Interested in learning more about the power of your stories to create a life of resilience, connection, and meaning? Check out my Write Into Joy workshops to learn how to build resilience and joy through journaling & reflecting. Click here to see a list of upcoming workshops.

Want to feel more engaged and energized? Get your copy of 3 Steps to a Meaningful Life You Love!

X