Living a “Valuable” Life…Whose Values?
Ah yes, the pursuit of happiness…..the on-going effort to achieve the highest level of living “the good life.” So many questions can be pondered such as “What is happiness?”, “How will I know that I have reached the pinnacle of happiness?”, etc. These are all great open-ended and thought-provoking questions to ask oneself. But I propose the following question for deeper introspection: “Am I living my life according to my values?”
In an ever-present world of value-programming from our parents/caregivers, powerful people in positions of authority and the 24-hour-in-your-face social media platform, it can feel overwhelming to tease out our own values that are distinctly ours and not influenced by others. If you’re still reading this blog, maybe this resonates with you. Let’s consider some action steps to move closer to living a life that aligns with your values:
- Give yourself permission to start your journey of self-discovery.
- Spark your interest – take a values assessment -plenty of free assessments online.
- Once you have identified your core values, examine your habits/behavior – does your behavior reflect your values?
- If the answer is “yes” keep living your best life! If the answer is “no”, make some behavioral changes, one step at a time!
- You’ve got this!
- Tina Taylor, LPC-S counsels clients at our Denton office. She loves helping clients align their life choices with their personal core values.