This is how your values shape your life
Our values have the power to make or break us. Here’s how.
Many of us try hard to feel happy and fulfilled in life and work and sometimes we’re able to achieve it, for a while at least. But if you want sustained life and work satisfaction you must align your decisions and actions with your values. Misalignment leads to disillusionment, dissatisfaction, and unhappiness. This applies to all areas of your life including your career.
Values can be described using words such as loyalty, honesty, love, respect, integrity etc. They often develop during childhood and adolescence and shape the person we become. Our values are what are important to us, they shape our life, the decisions we make and the actions we take. Knowing our values helps us understand what drives us.
Values come in all shapes and sizes. Our idealistic values are things we aspire to be or have, e.g.: success, happiness, integrity, a sense of achievement. Our core operational values are things we need in order to function in a healthy way, e.g.: security, stability, process, control. We can often identify our values through developing our self-awareness and reflecting on the reasons for our past behaviour and decisions. However, we also have unconscious values; values that drive us without us realising. These are often more challenging to identify but if you pay attention to what maladaptive behaviours (unhealthy behaviour) give you, you may start to see them.
When we don’t honour our values our mental, emotional and physical health are negatively impacted and we are unable to remain fulfilled in our lives and jobs. When our fundamental needs are not being met (often represented as operational values) conflict is more likely to occur, especially in the workplace. Think about a time you’ve reacted to something that was out of character, why did this happen? Often it’s because our values aren’t being met, (e.g.: becoming frustrated with a change at work can be common if stability and consistency are operational values.)
By building our life and work around our values we create a life that is more satisfying and meaningful to us. So, take some time to learn what your values are. Grab a pen and paper and write a list of 20 words that represent your values. Highlight your top 3; the things that are most important to you. Ask yourself, do your thoughts, actions and behaviour fit with these values? If not, what changes do you need to make?
This is a great exercise to do with a newly established team as it helps individuals understand the differences between them and their colleagues and how to accommodate these in times of change.
