Values based in Compassion

What: Values Based in Compassion

Why: Knowing and living your values is critical to happiness and wellbeing. It allows us to make the choices in life that make us feel strong, confident, calm. It also allows us to deal with the inevitable stressors of life in a more balanced way, so that you do not add unnecessary suffering.

How: Work on this exercise as if NO ONE will ever see it. It is not a test on how ‘good’ your values are. Remember to distinguish between values and goals. Goals you can ‘tick off’ – like getting married. Values are a life long journey – like ‘being a supportive wife’. The exercise is really intended for you to get clarity on what you care about, what you want to work towards, who you want to be and how you want to be in life. Big questions!

There are 12 areas in life in which you can identify values. They might not all be important to you, you may not be able to articulate values for all of them. That is ok. Start off by identifying which areas are most important to you NOW:

Family relations (other than marriage or parenting)

Mariage/intimate relationships

Parenting

Friendships

Career/Employment

Education/growth and development

Recreation/Fun

Spirituality

Community Life

Health/physical self-care

Environment/Sustainability

Art/Aesthetics

Try to treat each one separately, although they will overlap. Write down how you would like to be in each of these areas, what is important for you. Remember – you pick the most important areas for you NOW.

My Example: Health: I value being someone who is aware of my health, who takes care of my body through good nutrition, movement, rest and quiet. I am someone who respects my body and what it needs, I am grateful for my body and express that every morning and often through out the day. For me strength is not pushing through, but respecting my limits and communicating them clearly without apology.

Tip: make it fun, make it light, make it loving. Be careful of judging yourself as ‘not being goo enough’ in your values right now… noticing what your values are and where you are not living them is the most important step, so do not berate, but celebrate any areas where you can change. This change will bring you so much!