We all apply standards in our lives… values. They might be our values, but too often they belong to someone else. A spouse, a boss, a shareholder. Even a rambunctious toddler!
Knowing what your values are (and how to apply them by setting boundaries) will help you live more happily, sleep better, and change the world; it’ll help you be free to succeed.
Here is a short article on some ways to help you identify your core values. By no means is this even a summary of all the ways to do so… and there are many others that might suit you better! So if you’re looking for an impartial and passionate partner in this discovery… book a discovery meeting with amplico sooner; not later!
One of my favorite ways to identify core values is to think of my “excess” moments. Moments of extreme emotion reveal our core. Happiness. Sadness. Anger. The actions that led to these amplified emotions give insight into our values.
These actions I’m referring to are both our own and others as they intersect with our lives. These actions are both those deliberated and accidental. There may have been signs of possible reaction to actions or a series of actions, but just as likely we might have hidden these responses even from ourselves until the emotion erupts.
So… what are your top 3 BIG memories?
And if you’ve tended to the more negative side*, what are your top 3 greatest achievements? Ask your family, friends, or colleagues what they remember about these specific events.
An honest answer to these 2 questions, these 3-6 events, will provide you a list of skills, strengths, opportunities to guide you to your core values. However, honesty is not always based on the raw facts. Accessing our potential lies also in the stories and driving emotions they raise.
Another avenue to help define your core values relates to how you and others view you. So, if you were to write a eulogy for yourself right now… what would it say? Imagine you’ve died… what do the people at your funeral say about you from both the pulpit and the dark corner over coffee or whiskey? Are your actions revealing your values the way you think you want them to be? Has your life showed what you “think” is important? If not… maybe you need to hone what those values are more clearly.
Core values are helpful in personal and professional capacities. It helps you (as an individual or a business) align your decisions, and therefore your actions, with others of similar core values, spreading your influence into the world at large.
Choose these values carefully with an eye to the future. They will define your actions, your relationships and your legacy.
*Disclaimer: accessing core memories can be a difficult process and may best be done with professional supervision.