What will you get out of today's lesson on VALUES

Today, we cover the single most important topic in the curriculum of Self-Awareness - Your VALUES!

• The #1 thing I want you to take away from today's lesson is to develop a deep understanding for the benefits of knowing your values.
• With this lesson, you will also start your journey of identifying your core values.

Let the class begin!

Start with WHY

Most books and teaching materials begin with a definition of concepts and terms. But I believe in starting with 'why' (Thank you Simon Sinek for this golden nugget).

So, why care about your values?

Because values are the building blocks of your life's satisfaction!

I know that is a big claim but by the end of today's lesson, I hope to have you convinced.

A bit more on on the why of values:

• Know your values so you have a very strong sense of who you are and what you value in life.
• Know your values because they drive your behaviors and decisions.
• Know your values so it's much easier to choose which path to take when you are at cross roads in life.
• Know your values so you know why you feel what you do. Often the answer to why you have been feeling crappy about yourself over a period of time lies in a conflict with your core value.

So WHAT are values

The dictionary definition is 'the regard that something is held to deserve; the importance, worth, or usefulness of something.'  I know that isn't particularly useful.  To help you understand what values are, let’s look at them from a few different angles and consider some examples.

Ask yourself:

• What is most important to you?
• Who are you inside? What is the stuff you are made of? For instance, are you a person of integrity,  honesty and fairness?

“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

• What do you want others to think of you? How do you want others to describe you? Do you want to be known as the person who has a zest for life or do you want to be known as someone who is a go giver?
• Who do you admire? Think about why you admire them. It is our natural inclination to admire people who possess the values, virtues, qualities we admire. Do you admire them for their hard work, determination and grit (that might have manifested itself in the form of wealth and success).
• Which of your accomplishments do you feel the most proud of?

Eliciting your values

There are frameworks and self-awareness exercises to help you identify your core values, not global values like peace or success, but YOUR definition of peace and success.  Let's look at one such framework - quite often, your highest values come from your strongest desire to fill a huge void or to move away from a pain in your life.  A dear friend of mine grew up without a father. This was the biggest void in his life that nothing could fill until he became a father himself and dedicated himself to being the best, most present, most engaged father he could be! That childhood void made him value family and fatherhood above all else in his life.

Think about how this is true in your life.

1. What was your most painful experience in life?
2. What was the biggest void or vacuum in your life growing up?
3. How has this void or painful experience influenced the decisions you have made?
4. How has this pain or void  influenced the actions you have taken or the actions you have NOT taken?

Do this next exercise whe

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