Values and goals

In week 2 we talked about values and goals.
Values guide our lives and give our lives meaning.
Goals are the means to express our values.
I think this is better understood with an example: a goal of going to the gym 3 times a week reflects your value of a healthy lifestyle.
People that live consistent with their values report being less stressed, are more effective in their job roles and live more meaningful lives.
It is never too late to live consistent with your values. You just need the courage to change.
What are your values?
This is not an easy question.
To help you clarify your values there is an activity you can engage at: the bulls eye activity.

You need to think about 4 dimensions in your life and identify your values in each one of them:

• Work/ Education - How do you want to be towards your clients, customers, colleagues, fellow workers? What personal qualities do you want to bring to your work? What skills do you want to develop?
• Personal growth/ health - What kind of human being do you want to be?
• Relationships - What sort of relationships do you want to build? How do you want to be in these relationships? What personal qualities do you want to develop?
• Leisure - How do you enjoy yourself? What are you hobbies?

Then you will need to assess how fully you are living your values. If you are fully living your values in an area, you should mark a cross near the middle. If you have lost the touch with a value in an area, you should mark the cross farther from the middle.

After this exercise, you can try to identify interfering barriers and obstacles and create a Values action plan: a plan to help you eliminate or minimize those barriers and obstacles.

Good luck!