Well, here we are in May and life in the UK is getting back to normal after all the pomp and ceremony associated with the Coronation of King Charles III. Wow! Wasn’t it spectacular?
The last such event took place 70 years ago in June 1953, and so I’m going to assume that for most of you reading – this was (as it was for me) your first Coronation Event.
If you are old enough to have also witnessed that of Elizabeth II, then I salute you and I am honoured to have you here.
In fact, I’ll just have one more biscuit from my ‘special edition’ tin in order to celebrate you!
In the last issue, I outlined 10 things that you can do in order to maintain your happiness level. And this week, I thought it might be helpful to delve a little deeper into the first item on the list.
Know your core values
If I were to ask you – what are your top 4 personal values? Would you be able to provide me a confident response? How long would it take you to arrive at your answer? If more than 30 seconds, then I highly recommend that you do some work in this area to specifically define them.
This is an important piece of work because our personal values form the moral compass that guides our actions and influences our behaviours. They provide key insights into what we consider important – the things that matter most to our happiness and well-being.
And whether you can define them right now or not, your values often reveal an unspoken truth. You may not have discussed them specifically with family, friends or colleagues, but often they are visible to others as they are expressed through your words, actions, and behaviours.
Consider the late Queen Elizabeth II.
If I were to tell you that she lived by the values of Service, Dedication and Hope, I don’t think you would be remotely surprised. You may not have heard her personally state those words, you may (or may not) have read this in a book – but instinctively you KNOW. Because she truly lived in alignment with her values.
You see, whether you realise it or not, your values already govern your life. Consciously defining them will help bring clarity to what you want (and what you don’t) from your life and will strengthen confidence and build greater trust in yourself.
Once you are clear on your values, important decisions will become much easier, and you will become more conscious of the things that inspire or upset you.
Basically, everything you love or hate relates back to your values.
What we believe in – our personal values, are ultimately what shape us as individuals.
If you want to make any kind of change, you must decide what to value and where your priorities lie.
Let me give you an example. If you consider FAMILY to be one of your core values, then you may find yourself hating the job that means you barely get home in time to enjoy dinner together. Maybe a less demanding role or a role with greater flexibility would suit you better? Or less need for travel?
Life is best when our values and lifestyle reflect each other. When they don’t, we will inevitably experience the constant nag that ‘something is missing’. The reason why may not always be obvious but the nagging feeling certainly is.
The better you understand what truly matters to you, the better you will become at making life decisions that result in happiness and fulfilment. Naturally, there will be moments of tedious work, struggle or frustration, etc. Things happen and are sometimes unavoidable. But what IS avoidable is the feeling of “Why am I doing this?” or “What is the point?”.
Ultimately, you are the captain of your own ship. And the more decisions you make that are truly aligned to your core values, the happier you will be and the easier it will be to design your life around your needs & desires.
x Until next time, sending you love x
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