Values And Beliefs

A value holds importance in your life and understanding them can be acquired as easily as asking yourself "What do I consider important?". A useful overview of your values could be done by asking yourself, "what is important to me in life?" and you'll be no short of a list of values. We often use beliefs and values interchangeably. I consider integrity important (a value) and I believe we should always be honest in our daily living (belief).

Values and beliefs are created over our lifetime, many of them cemented from the constant pounding of messages from parental figures and teachers until they have become such unconscious patterns that its hard to believe otherwise about our own beliefs. Consequently, they affect all the outcomes in our lives and the decisions we make, sometimes with consequences we wish we could undo. They steer the rudder of our lives, influencing our perceptions and decisions and hence our motivation and desires. In short, they chart our map of reality and how we see the world.

Clarifying Your Values
Set the contexts, for example:

• Work and career
• Family
• Hobbies
• Noble Purpose
• Leisure and play
• Personal Development

For each of those categories, ask yourself:

• "What matters most to me in my work and career?"
  Then ask, "What is so important about it and why?"
• Keep asking the same question of each answer that you give until you can't anymore.
• This may create new values as the exercise progresses.

Keep it short, preferably one word phrases and if the descriptors start repeating itself, that's a sign that the recurring them should part of your values list.

Values Pecking Order

• You can rank your values by simply asking yourself, "Of these values, which ones are most important?" Rank them from top to toe.
• You can test each one. For instance if the first is honesty and the second is sense of humor, ask yourself of the two, which you prefer in your best friend. Do this for the rest of the values especially if there is a close "fight" between two.
• A pattern will soon emerge since values will span across every area of your life. For example if its family, then "family" will quite likely apply at work for many where they look for a sense of family at work.
• It is useful to find the source of your values and seek its origin, For example, was it from a parent, a teacher, an institution, an influential person.
• See this in the light of its relevance to the goal you are seeking. Is this value impeding your movement towards this goal or is it supporting it.
• If it is impeding your movement, realise that values can be negotiated. You do not have to hold onto it regards certain outcomes. This will allow you to remain open to choices.
• What you picked up from the past can be dropped just like habits can be picked up and dumped at will especially if it does not serve you anymore, like alcohol and cigarettes. We are not bound by our values especially if its in the way. Just remain flexible and open to better choices.
• Ask yourself which values can take its place so as to serve the outcomes you seek.