The Power of Values. And the Cost of Not Knowing Yours.
Looking back, I realize that a major contributor to becoming stuck, lost, uncertain, and just plain sad was that I had no sense of my values.
I was approaching 40, and feeling like I had achieved all that I was supposed to: married, two kids, climbing the corporate ladder, homeowner, saving for retirement, fit and healthy, and blessed with a good group of friends. My life resume was stellar… and I was so unhappy because I felt lost. I felt no sense of purpose. I had no road map. I had no compass. I was successful, but not satisfied.
I drew inward, distanced myself from my wife, from friends, from life. I wasn’t interested in connecting with anyone and I wasn’t interested in career advancement. When you don’t know where you’re going, you tend to spin in circles.
It took a marriage crisis and an Ambien addiction to shake me out of my funk and focus my energies.
The urgency of the moment forced me to get clear on what was most important in my life, starting with my marriage, my health, relationships and connection. I got clear on what I valued most in life. I rebuilt my marriage and my life. I found purpose and fulfillment.
Now, I live each day fully aware of my values, because I have learned to define them and integrate them into my life (they are my phone wallpaper, in fact). Mine are: growth, connection, health and service. They are my compass in life. They guide what I do and with whom I do it.
When I’m feeling fulfilled, I’m living in alignment with my values. When I’m feeling in the dumps, I’ve likely strayed from my values.
Through self-exploration, through certification as a life coach, and through certification at the Barrett Values Centre, here’s what I have learned about values:
Getting clear on your values is one of the most important steps you can take to a more purposeful life. Getting clear involves not only identifying your values, but also understanding what they mean to you and how to best activate them in your life. Learning to live in alignment with your values and using them to identify when you are out of alignment is part of the process of values integration.
My clients use their values to gain clarity on who they are, and together we integrate and activate their values to make intentional life choices that bring purpose and meaning. Here’s what clients say about our work on their values:
“The single biggest benefit I have seen after working with Andrew is that I have better clarity on what motivates me now. Understanding my own values and learning about the Energy Leadership Index™ has provided me with new tools to help set my approach and focus, and to help further my team in their own growth.”
“Andrew has guided me to look deeper within myself to discover what my core values are and live my life with purpose.”
If you are ready to get more intentional about your life — to grab your compass and steer your life towards meaning and fulfillment — let’s talk.