May 5, 2022.
Don’t worry, this isn’t me telling you some magical reason why you do anything. This is a mental exercise to help me and you understand what’s more important to us and how to find our values. I am sure you’ve heard the word values being thrown around a lot. And maybe you have wondered, how does one get clear on their values? How do I know what I stand for?
I did a mental exercise last year from Dr. Ivan Joseph that helped me to identify 5 values that I have subconsciously and want to share so you can figure it out. There is two ways of doing this. The first option you may have heard life coaches and motivational speakers preach about.
Option 1:
Think of a major decision you made in the last 9 months or something you want to do in the near future. Now answer why you did that. Once you’ve thought about the response, ask yourself why. Essentially you keep asking yourself why after each answer until you’ve reached a point where you’ve exhausted all your reasons. I have found this method to be very effective when you have another person asking you why versus doing it yourself. However, depending on how personal it is, you might hold back on sharing some core reasons. Doing it with someone and then alone would be the best way.
Option 2 from Dr. Ivan Joseph:
Think of a major decision you made in the last 18 months. Now answer these questions: In 7 words or less why was it important for you to do this? What’s one letter word that would best explain this reason. That one-word answer is your big why and value. Repeat this for 3 more major decisions you made. An example could be:
- Major decision: one switches their career
- Why in 7 words: To bring value though a purposeful life
- One-Word – Purpose
I will also add that you should answer this question – how did I feel when I did that? Pay attention to the verbs and nouns that come to mind in the answer. See how those words relate to the one-word answer to the second question above. Emotions are never too far away from the things we care most about. Once you have a few words, you can think of other scenarios that resemble or correlate with your word to see if there is a pattern in your behavior.
Question of the day:
- What values can I identify from my past major decisions?
Comment your thoughts and share with a friend who might find this helpful!