Values: what sparks you up?

Photo: Jez Timms @ Unsplash

So this is a bit of coaching essentials - a coaching classic, if you like. Identifying your VALUES, and what makes you tick.

And yes, its a linguistic exercise that equips you with a list of words - but wow! What power those words can hold.

Our work in coaching is to help translate those words into meaningful thoughts, feelings and actions - the ones that help you make decisions (in the moment and over the long term), those that indicate when something feels right (or right out of whack). They are the nuggets of intelligence that I refer more to with clients than anything else.

They are - in fact - magic.

Identifying your values can help you not only build on what you choose (from last month) - but determine how you’ll go about doing something. They set the compass on your dashboard, and they put fuel in your tank to get you going.

Values are the words that describe what is at your SOURCE - what motivates and drives you, what you need and want top bring in to your life, and what makes you uniquely you.

Your values might appear to be the same as someone else’s - but invariably the words mean different things to different people. There are no rights or wrongs - and steeped in meaning, these words can have a powerful effect on your confidence, your sense of purpose - and your knowledge of what sparks you up in life.

You may have explored these words before. You may have used or recorded your values somewhere special in the past.

So is there any point in doing this again?

Well - yes. Your values are something that might change over time - and it’s good to be able to reflect on how. Think, for example, how parenting might have shifted your value around family, or career.

In addition - this is a new list, so might contain something you hadn’t thought of before.

We will refer to your values again in other months - and so to have a handle on what they are today will set you up well for future exercises and conversations in this membership later in the year.

AN EXERCISE

So for now - here’s a list of words you might not have seen before. Before you have a look at the words, try to capture at least five words that describe your VALUES.

Then, quite simply, scroll through the list and choose the words that best reflect what is MOST IMPORTANT TO YOU in life.

When you have collected that list (I suggest writing out in full somewhere, so you can see them, in front of you).

Then, when you’ve got your list - I wonder if you can reduce your list down to your top 5 values?

What is like to have to make choices here?

What are your non-negotiables - and how do they show up in your life?

I look forward to discussing at our next group coaching session x

Source: Positive Psychology