With the New Year come resolutions to start doing things you have never done or committing to actually follow through on things you've started before but ... just never really become the habit you hoped for.
Well, I am going to challenge you this month to consider what it is you Really Value and are willing to spend your time, energy, and resources on. Make sure what you say is really important to you is actually where you focus your efforts.
Values define who we are. They are the qualities we regard as important like being healthy, loving our family, doing work we love, being honest. They influence the decisions we make and the actions we take. Our personal integrity is defined by our Values and how our decisions and actions reflect what we say is important to us.
Set aside some uninterrupted time, create a comfortable Environment for yourself, and pull out a sheet of paper.
First, write down your responses to the following questions:
1. What do I value?
2. What do others say I value?
Now, write down your responses to these questions:
3. Where do I spend my time?
4. What do I put my emotional and physical energy into?
5. What do I allocate resources (like money) to?
6. What would others in my life say I put time, energy, and resources into?
Your mind has probably already begun to recognize how in alignment your responses to those two sets of questions are. Take a few minutes to reflect and notice how well what you say you value match with where you actually spend your time, energy, and resources.
Examples:
A mismatch: I value my family and I leave work late almost every night.
A perfect match: I value being honest and I tell people the real reason I can't do something instead of just "calling in sick."
How do you feel about your Values? What changes are you willing to make to have your actions reflect your values?
"Open your arms to change, but don't let go of your Values." ~ Dalai Lama
For more fabulous information from Laura, check out www.TheCenterforIntentionalGrowth.com.