Personal Values – The Guiding Light

Personal Values need to be the center and basis of our wellness. Without knowing them, we will have no idea how to direct our life. We may fall short of who we are, if we do not determine our values and how to align with them. Our personal values – the guiding light, are what we must ensure that our decisions and life reflect. Knowing what is most important to us will determine how we live our life. Our values will directly influence our work, personal, and family life. It is important to review our values regularly to ensure we are living them out.

Values Are What We Aspire Towards

So long as we’re still on earth, we have plenty more time to prove them to ourselves. Values are our guiding principles and how we know when we’re living in our integrity. When we know our values, nothing can come between them. We will use our values for judgment, discernment, and decision-making. To distinguish and organize; what are virtues?

The Six Broadest Virtue Categories by Martin Seligman:

• • Transcendence – appreciation of art and interconnectedness of life.

• • Knowledge – your perspective on life and love of learning.

• • Moderation – thoughts of modesty and control.

• • Humanity – appreciation of others and the world.

• • Justice – your sense of fairness.

• • Courage – persistence and bravery in situations.

What are values?

• • Knowing our worth and respecting ourselves and others.

• • Being courageous, kind, compassionate or honest.

• • Helping others and creating a positive environment.

• • What gives my life purpose and meaning?

• • What will I not accept less than or what is non-negotiable?

Values are, by definition: intrinsically useful; considered prized, standardized or beneficial ideas of practicality; signifies relative importance and merit and are synonymous with worth, excellence, and are highly regarded. Values, unlike goals, are not meant to be achieved. They are meant to be lived out each and every day each with intention. They (should) determine your priorities, and, deep down, they’re probably the measures you use to tell if your life is turning out the way you want it to.

Values Versus Virtues

Values are more the theory. Virtues are the principle or qualities to resemble. This how we define what wellness means to us as individuals, a set group or within our own community and organization. In order to determine our values, we must ask the right questions and take the necessary steps to review our life. We need to recount when we felt most happy, successful, and fulfilled; and what we would credit as the underlying mechanics or ideals that gave rise to our best experiences or version of Self.

Without Our Values, We Can Run Astray

A life without defined values can be misguided, troublesome, and painstaking. A lack thereof can make one question everything and see things as pointless or meaningless. Life is a gift of opportunity so long as we choose to see it this way. In order to find this center of living, we must write out and live our values regularly. Origins Unity helps organizations determine their values and find alignment in their life and work. Reach out today about exercises, classes, and available offerings!