How Valuable Are You?
Finding Your True Value -Think Differently, Just Do It, Because you are Worth It
Increasingly, we buy products as a shortcut to promoting ourselves as a particular kind of person. We proclaim that we” Just Do It” or we “Think Different” (ly) or that we are “Worth It.” By buying these products we are claiming membership of a particular community of; determined winners, imaginative free-thinkers’ or valuable human beings.
It’s a great marketing ploy. Some people really are what it says on the particular tin but for most, sadly, it is a slice of a dream of who we could be. What’s even sadder is that these values are not even our own. They are just a way to get us to spend money.
The money you spend on someone’s product, bears no relation to your true value!
If you don’t know your values, you don’t know your value and it you can’t value yourself, how can anyone else value you?
Our values are about what is important to us as individuals. They embody the ideas of yourself and the world that you hold dear, that you value. They are the principles and standards that you believe in and live by.
There is some confusion about where values fit in the world of morality, beliefs, and actions. Just to be clear, a virtue is a quality that is universally accepted as having high moral value. So, everyone can agree that honesty is good and virtuous. However, if you personally value kindness over honesty, you probably won’t tell your friend that she looks fat in that dress…you will try to find a kinder way. That’s your values at work.
How do we use values? On your life journey, your vision, is about where you want to go your action plan, is the steps you will take to reach that place. Your values are about the kind of person you will be whilst you travel. They signify who we are and what we believe in (not what we have, who we know, where we have been or what slogans we buy.)
So, what are your top 5 values? Perhaps you know them and can rattle them off, alongside stories of how you use them and why you chose them? If you can’t, then perhaps it’s time to find out your true value; to yourself, your friends, your family, and the world. EVERYONE has their own unique set of values, it’s just that many people don’t know what they are.
Why bother? Our values are powerful, they drive our decision making and our behaviour. They are a BIG part of who we are and are our response to what we believe about ourselves, others’, and the world in general. Values anchor us when the seas of life get stormy, they are the light that guides us in the dark times and the thread of self-belief that will guide us back to our passion and purpose when we are lost in the labyrinth. Our values can both keep us safe and urge us to take that leap of faith.
Your values are a key part of what guides you, what defines you and what people will love and remember about you. We put our values into practice by using our character strengths, the individual mix of emotion, thought and behaviour that is our signature on our life.
Science shows that people who know their values and live by them by using their character strengths, tend to choose; partners, career paths and visions for themselves that align with their values. These people hit the “sweet spot” of life satisfaction, happiness, and success. They are loving what they do because they are doing what they love. Their partner just “fits” because whilst they may have a different career or pastimes, their basic values in life match. Their life does not feel like an ill-fitting outfit they have to wear each day, it feels like their own skin and they are happy in it.
Once you know your values, you know what is important to you. You can start to use your character strengths to live by your values. You will then start to attract the people into your life who think and feel like you. Don’t be fooled into undervaluing yourself by buying a slogan. Know your true value, do what fits with what YOU believe and hold dear, and then be your best self.
Once you have identified your top values, reflect on the following questions:
What values are most important to you, and why?
What values does your job or company call for? Do they fit with yours?
What are your partner’s and friend’s values?
What can you do to ensure that your top values are satisfied in your personal and professional life?
If you want to help explore your values further and how to get the most from them get in touch. Check out my videos on Character Strengths https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZ3oe4dGSaybvCiDsNtjjfQ or join me on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/bselfsavvy and be Self Savvy, know how valuable you truly are.
Resources – Some quizzes and surveys that will help you determine your core values
https://www.mindcoolness.com/blog/find-out-your-core-values/