Oct 09
6
Values and Beliefs
Understanding your own values and beliefs are very important in helping you achieve your goals in life; goals that aren’t in rapport with your values and beliefs stand little chance of being achieved. They will, basically be ‘dead in the water’ before you start. There is no value adopting the values and beliefs of others you think you should have because they look like good values and beliefs.
Using others will only set you up fail in trying to achieve the goal of somebody else. Let’s look at a couple of definitions!
What is a value?
A value is a deeply held belief about what is good, right and appropriate. A value is deep-seated and remains constant over time. We accumulate our values from childhood based on teachings and observations of our parents, teachers, religious leaders, and other influential and powerful people.
What is a belief?
A belief is something we accept as true regardless of others opinions or evidence from other sources. Your beliefs will be derived from your values. I believe that both values and beliefs change over time as you learn and grow.
If, for example you had a value of responsibility, some of your beliefs maybe as follows:
- You have a responsibility for keeping your promises and commitments; you must follow through on all that you do.
- You have a responsibility for all your actions, however you are not responsible for the actions of others. Neither are others responsible for your actions.
- You must accept the responsibility that comes with any power that you have.
- You must accept the responsibility that comes with any authority that you have.
- You must accept the responsibility for all that you say.
- You must take responsibility for the decisions you make.
There may be times in your life when you are asked to carry out a task that conflicts with your values and beliefs. You may become aware of your closest friend, who is in financial trouble, taking money from another of your close friends. If two of your strongest values are those of honesty and friendship; what do you do?
Incidents that cause conflicts of our values can sometimes test the resolve of our strongest and long term relationships leaving us with some difficult decisions. Also failing to remain in rapport with our values will send out conflicting messages to your friends especially if they value honest and truth.
Whether you are goal setting or not, identifying your values and beliefs is a must for any would be self development person who has the slightest interest in personal growth and personal development. A exercise to identify your values is to simply make a list of them. An equally worthwhile exercise is to follow up that exercise with the following one:
- List all the values you are satisfying in your personal life (give yourself about 10 mins)
- List all the values you are satisfying in your social life (give yourself about 10 mins)
- List all the values you are satisfying in your work life (give yourself about 10 mins)
Be honest with yourself during this exercise; when you’ve finished compare each of the lists with how much you are enjoying that part of your life.
- If you are satisfying most of your values and you are unhappy in any part of you life then you’ve not been very honest with the exercise.
- If you are not satisfying too many of your values and you are happy in any part of your life then you’ve not be very honest with the exercise.
- If you are not satisfying too many of your values and you are unhappy in any part of your life then you need to address that part of your life.
- If you are satisfying most of your values and you are happy in any part of your life then you are satisfying your values.
Please try this exercise and let me know how you go on, you’ll be surprised what a difference it makes to your goal setting.
Thank you for reading this post, please let me know what you think and share your experiences. While you’re here please take the time to sign up for the newsletter or alternatively you may prefer to subscribe for regular updates in your favourite reader or by email.
photo credit: Lindsay_Silveira
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