Do you know your values?
Ask me this same question five years ago and I thought I knew who I was. I was a goofy mom. I was a project manager for a construction company. I was a quirky daughter and I was a people pleaser. I was--basically--a laundry list of titles. This didn't occur to me until someone asked me, "What are your values?"
Uhh. Hmm.
This was a mess of confusion. I had never considered my values before. My immediate reaction was hard work, money, cleanliness, exercise. Let me tell you, it doesn't take a genius to figure that this is off. This was not me. I wasn't considering the complex facets of my personality. I wasn't considering my childhood wishes and dreams. I wasn't considering what truly made me feel at peace.
I gave myself time to reevaluate and I'm glad I did. It really assisted in my life's alignment.
So now I'm holding space for you. If you don't know your core values, grab a drink, a pen and paper and get comfortable. Now head to: https://corevalueslist.com/
Start with writing down every word that resonates with you.
Don't overthink this part. Just write them down! If you think of a word that isn't on the very extensive list, cool--write it down!
Now you should have a very long list sitting in front of you. Consider each of the words and categorize them in 3-5 groups (not anymore than 5 though!) in a way that makes sense to you.
After this, circle ONE word that further resonates with you in each category.
Now, put your pen down and pat yourself on the back. You gave yourself time to get to know you!
Come back to the list in a few days and really consider why you chose the words you did. Connect to each. If you feel like you need to change a word, do it. But after each change, give yourself a day or two to check behind yourself. This is such an important step in getting to know who you are.
When you know your core values in life, you can begin to understand your motivations. You may also see why you may not be happy--your life is not in alignment with your core values.
But now that you know, you have a personal responsibility to yourself.
You deserve it.
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