What Is It You Value?
One of my friends has been constantly reminding me lately that as we approach decisions in life, whether they are big or small, we must always make our choices based on our values. This has had me up late at night thinking on multiple occasions about what it is that I value and if I am living my life in accordance with my personal set of values.
I value the building of relationships.
Over the past three years (or so) I have made friends with individuals who have changed my life in major ways. I could list them all here but without their permission I probably better not. The list of their accomplishments in my life have ranged from helping me be confident in who I am (a person who I never thought I would be) to helping me gain confidence in my abilities. Some of these people helped me release myself from the stresses of the world and others brought me back down to the ground when my mind started wandering too far.
Finding friends, however long- or short-lived those friendships were and are, has been one of the main factors behind the choices that I have made. My friends and family make me happy. I am a big believer in the necessity of positive relationships to promote mental health. It also may expand into physical, spiritual, and emotional health as well.
I value knowledge.
From a young age I have always been in the pursuit of all available knowledge. From reading encyclopedias in grade school to now re-reading college textbooks, my mind still craves more and more. Unfortunately, over the past few years, I have put this value on the back shelf a bit. As many of you know, I started grad school in a field that was less knowledge intensive and then dropped out because I wasn't wanting to gain the knowledge. Over the past few years, the choices I've made regarding knowledge have been minimal and insubstantial. This is an area where I need to work when it comes to my decision making processes.
There are a number of other values in my personal set but the point is that there are times when we are very good at making decisions based on what we truly value and other times where, for whatever reason, we don't use our value system to make decisions, or worse yet, we make decisions intentionally contrary to our values.
Obviously the first step in the process is to identify your values. This may take time so be patient with yourself. After that each choice you make can be evaluated as effective or ineffective as you determine whether it fits with your values or not.
For me this is and will always be an ongoing process. It is a process I know will help me find myself and love myself more than I have before.
I value the building of relationships.
Over the past three years (or so) I have made friends with individuals who have changed my life in major ways. I could list them all here but without their permission I probably better not. The list of their accomplishments in my life have ranged from helping me be confident in who I am (a person who I never thought I would be) to helping me gain confidence in my abilities. Some of these people helped me release myself from the stresses of the world and others brought me back down to the ground when my mind started wandering too far.
Finding friends, however long- or short-lived those friendships were and are, has been one of the main factors behind the choices that I have made. My friends and family make me happy. I am a big believer in the necessity of positive relationships to promote mental health. It also may expand into physical, spiritual, and emotional health as well.
I value knowledge.
From a young age I have always been in the pursuit of all available knowledge. From reading encyclopedias in grade school to now re-reading college textbooks, my mind still craves more and more. Unfortunately, over the past few years, I have put this value on the back shelf a bit. As many of you know, I started grad school in a field that was less knowledge intensive and then dropped out because I wasn't wanting to gain the knowledge. Over the past few years, the choices I've made regarding knowledge have been minimal and insubstantial. This is an area where I need to work when it comes to my decision making processes.
There are a number of other values in my personal set but the point is that there are times when we are very good at making decisions based on what we truly value and other times where, for whatever reason, we don't use our value system to make decisions, or worse yet, we make decisions intentionally contrary to our values.
Obviously the first step in the process is to identify your values. This may take time so be patient with yourself. After that each choice you make can be evaluated as effective or ineffective as you determine whether it fits with your values or not.
For me this is and will always be an ongoing process. It is a process I know will help me find myself and love myself more than I have before.
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