When you say to yourself, “I want to feel good!” What does the “good” part mean for you? Does it mean, “I want to put on my fluffy sweater. Turn off all the noisy equipment in the house and emerge in reading a book.” Or, something more common, like: “I want to find the most extravagant travel destination. Book a flight and go there, so I can show Jenny from the accounting department that I’m more adventurous than she is!”
When we think about forming new habits. Talk about getting 1% better every day. And even when comparing talent vs skill. We cannot not talk about the importance of values.
You can’t expect to improve and become a more disciplined person. You can’t self-improve if you don’t define what this better state should look like first.
We obsessively focus on being happy all the time and running away from activities that are slightly out of our comfort zone. Not realizing that where we end up being is a nasty place. A place of more discomfort and more harmful sensations. All of this, because we never took the time to determine our personal core values and realize the importance of values in our daily life.
Why?
Because no one ever taught us about values. Contrary to what you consider logical. While it’s important to have good values – more about that later. People consider talking about them unimportant. As this is something you somehow need to know and talking/thinking about it is a waste of time.
The topic of values is a complicated one, indeed. However, just because you already have some sort of values. This doesn’t mean that they are good and serving your life.
Actually, based on my experience, I’m quite confident they are the opposite of serving you – harming you. Not because you are a bad person – well, I hope you are not. But because you never took the time to consider what is important for you and what is unimportant. I know I didn’t for more than 20 years.
In this article, my plan is to give you a complete overview of what are values, and why they are important in our daily lives – plus how you can go ahead and define your values. Along with that, I’ll share my personal journey of self-discovery.
What Are Values?
Values are internalized beliefs about what are the most important things in our life. They serve as a yardstick by which we can measure the alignment of our actions with what we hold dear. Help the individual decide what’s desirable and worth pursuing.
Values provide us with a means of introspection. Allowing us to reflect on whether our choices and behaviors align with our core beliefs. By examining the degree to which our actions align with our values, we are able to make more mindful and intentional decisions.
Values are like a standard. Like a roadmap we follow. Like a compass steering us, guiding our actions.
Hey there, sorry to interrupt…
Since you’ve come this far, it seems that you are passionate about pursuing depth over distraction. I am too! And while what I’m about to say next probably won’t quite excite you, I have to say it…
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- Kohlberg, L. (1984). The Psychology of Moral Development: The Nature and Validity of Moral Stages. Essays on Moral De- velopment (Volume II). San Francisco, CA: Harper & Row Publishers. On the web: https://www.scirp.org/(S(351jmbntvnsjt1aadkozje))/reference/referencespapers.aspx
- Parker, Kim. Majority of workers who quit a job in 2021 cite low pay, no opportunities for advancement, feeling disrespected. Pew Research Center. On the web: https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2022/03/09/majority-of-workers-who-quit-a-job-in-2021-cite-low-pay-no-opportunities-for-advancement-feeling-disrespected/
- Kemp, Simon. Digital 2022: October Global Statshot Report. Data Reportal. On the web: https://datareportal.com/reports/digital-2022-october-global-statshot
- Kross, E., Verduyn, P., Demiralp, E., Park, J., Lee, D. S., Lin, N., Shablack, H., Jonides, J., & Ybarra, O. (2013). Facebook Use Predicts Declines in Subjective Well-Being in Young Adults. PLOS ONE, 8(8), e69841. On the web: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0069841
