If life is pushing you in the wrong direction, a good way to get back on track is to have a close look at your values.
Wandering around in a fog of confusion can be frustrating until you take a compass bearing to re-orientate your direction. Such a bearing is normally taken from a landmark; a constant; something on the map which has existed almost since time immemorial.
And on life’s journey, those points of reference, those landmarks or constants are our values. Of course we can often relate to traditional values such as family values but the values to which I am referring run broader, deeper and will be found at the core of your being. In this context your values represent those interests or qualities which have always intrigued you or to which you have always been naturally drawn. Your values are essentially unique to you: an intangible but indelible fingerprint.
Think about it for a moment. How many people do you know who have found their true vocation in life – their ideal life? How many people do you know who have followed their heart?
Our values determine who we really are, and until we acknowledge who we are, we will probably never be content with what we have or where we are going. Consider the creative type who works on a mundane production line, the born adventurer confined to an office or the salesman who loves solitude and despises socialising. When we work solely for money rather than for the love of our work, we will rarely find fun or fulfillment in what we do. Dennis Waitley advises ‘Chase your passion, not your pension!’
A value is something that you must do to be yourself – something that you truly value or love to do with your time. For example, some people are and have always been naturally creative; some crave and have always craved action and adventure; others search for spiritual nourishment, perhaps solitude; many are drawn to the contentment and security of home and family life. The list is almost endless . . . desire to achieve, contribute, influence, lead, teach, attract, support . . . In order to identify the collective core of your true values you must become introspective for a moment and identify those interests which ignite the passion within. Remember - the key is that when you are engaged in these activities you feel most like yourself: connected, energized, effortless. Your values combine to form the trigger mechanism of your success.
You may already be conscious of your values or, until now, perhaps you have only had an inkling of their existence at a subliminal level.
The problem is that our needs and our ‘should do’s’ push us off course. The burden of responsibility weighs heavy on our shoulders and we lose sight of our bearings – our true values. Then one day we reach the top of the ladder, career or otherwise, only to find that we are leaning against the wrong wall – the wrong values - and we fall off into a well of despondency. There is that rueful feeling of wasted time and squandered opportunity. If only . . .
But the good news is that it is never too late to double back - to re-orientate your life around your values and get back on track. Once you have identified your values, you can set goals which are in line with those values. Roy Disney observed, ‘It's not hard to make decisions when you know what your values are.’ And when your values and goals run together like the parallel lines of a railway track, the next stop is fulfillment.
Revisit your values and realign your goals. You will then re-orientate towards your true North and your life will become an expression of your values. Do not doubt your natural compass: the fog will eventually lift to reveal a clear path to the summit.
Look after yourself and look into yourself!
Are You Searching for the Summit - To learn more about this author, visit Thomas Chalmers's Website.
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