2016 Resolution - Live By Your Values!
Welcome back to my Blog! It has been a couple of weeks since I last posted. With preparation for the holiday season and low energy from a persistent and lasting cold I have not been up to writing much. Now that the New Year is just around the corner and with some time off I am finding myself with more energy I wanted to share something special with all of you to help you be successful in 2016!
New year's resolutions, whether it be tradition or something you do because it sounds like a good idea most of us will set resolutions for 2016. Maybe this year you are ready to tackle that novel you wanted to write, go back to school, find a new job, lose weight or quit smoking. Regardless of what your goals are, why are you setting them? It is the “why” that is the real determining factor to your success and happiness. Setting resolutions or goals that are in line with your values will not only make you feel empowered, but you will also bring greater balance, happiness and wellbeing to your life.
What are values? Values are what drives you, gives you passion and makes you tick. They define your priorities, what makes you happiest and what job is best suited to you. Finally they are persistent but not stagnant. What this means is that as life progresses your values may shift. When you are starting college your value may be “freedom” allowing you to learn and explore your independence without commitments. Later in life you may find you are ready to settle down and “marriage or family” may become an important value that replaces “freedom”. Being clear about your values makes decision making easier, being more passionate about your goals and brings greater happiness to your life.
Determining your values. So now that you are excited about exploring your values, you need a way to determine what your values are and it’s simple! Consider what gives you the greatest joy and what brings you the greatest stress. These are signifiers of where your values are being met or overlooked. Write down a list of your most cherished memories as well as what brings you the most consistent stress. Once you have done this, it is time to get familiar with what values are present or lacking in each of these situations.
If your annual family vacation is something that brings you great happiness and joy then the values that may be present here are: family – spending time together, fun – doing activities you enjoy, health – taking time to rest ect. For those areas that bring you consistent or great stress consider what is lacking, such as: money – lacking security, working 60+ hours – lacking time for family/neglecting health or over booking your schedule – lacking time for fun.
Your values are all to be considered equal in importance. Like all things in life balance is key. Each value has equal importance in your life and priorities. If “heath” is a value, but you spend all your time focused on your other values such as family, security and fun you will likely find that your health gets neglected and you will not be happy. If there is an area of your life that is causing major stress this is a sign of a value that is being neglected.
Equipped with clear values now set out on creating your New Year’s resolution. It is recommended to narrow your values down to your top 5 and set goals for 2016 based on these values. Try this on for size and watch as your happiness and wellbeing grow in the coming year.
Happy New Year! :)