Welcome back to the fourth part of the Values Guide Exploration Series! You’ve done so well so far. Pat yourself on the back!
In case you missed the posts before, here they are:
Welcome
Introduction to Values
Identify Your Core Values
Mapping Your Values
In the last post, we mapped our values, where we reflected deeply on why our core values are important to us, how living or not living in alignment can affect our life and how well we’re doing that already.
In today’s post, we will look at 3 practical techniques to help you assess how well your actions, emotions, and life vision align with your identified core values, fostering greater self-awareness and guidance for potential adjustments.
Assessing the alignment between your identified values and your current life situation is essential for living authentically. The following techniques will help you to evaluate your alignment. Let’s go!
Technique 1: Values vs. Actions
Reflect on your recent actions and decisions in different aspects of your life (career, relationships, personal growth) and compare them against your identified core values.
Identify Recent Decisions:
List several recent decisions or actions you’ve taken in various areas of your life. e.g. buying a house, delegating work, rekindling a friendship, starting a new fitness regime, etc.
Match with Core Values:
Associate each decision/action with the core values it aligns with. e.g. starting a new fitness regime goes with “health and wellness“.
Assess Alignment:
Evaluate how well these decisions reflect your identified values. Are they in harmony, or do they seem contradictory? e.g. finding a fitness regime that suits you, like swimming versus running, makes you feel well, body and mind and is more enjoyable than running.
The key here is to be as specific as possible and be honest with yourself. Without honesty, you can’t fix or improve something that is wrong.
Technique 2: Emotional Resonance
Think about the emotions or feelings brought on by experiences or situations in your life. Certain emotions may signal alignment or misalignment with your values.
Recall Significant Moments:
Think of recent experiences that triggered strong emotions (positive or negative). e.g. shouting at the delivery man for coming late when you want to become more patient is a misalignment with said value.
Identify Emotions:
Recognize the emotions associated with these experiences. e.g. impatience, anger, annoyance in the case of the late delivery man.
Connect with Values:
Determine whether these emotions indicate alignment or conflict with your core values. e.g. definitely conflict because it makes the situation worse, the delivery man feels worse than he probably does and you don’t feel good either after the fact.
The delivery man example came to mind easily because it happened last week. Thankfully, I kept my cool and the poor guy was really grateful for that.
It had been raining cats and dogs and wasn’t safe for him to travel in the thunderous rain on a motorbike with no cover. Sure, I was ravenous and my pizza was almost cold, but at least it came, I could warm it if it wasn’t hot enough and the man was able to go home in one piece.
Technique 3: Vision Alignment
Imagine your ideal life and compare it with your current reality. Visualization I think they call. Assess how closely your envisioned life aligns with your identified core values.
Envision Your Ideal Life:
Describe what your ideal life, career, and relationships look like based on your core values. e.g. 4-hour workweek, more travel, teaching people what you love, spending more time with loved ones and learning new things.
Compare with Reality:
Evaluate how closely your current life aligns with this vision. What similarities or differences do you notice? e.g. working 40 hours a week at a job you hate is far removed from your ideal 4-hour work week life but at least you have a work-life balance which is a positive reflection of the life you want to have.
Identify Areas for Adjustment:
Pinpoint areas where adjustments or changes can bring your reality closer to your envisioned alignment with your values. e.g. dedicating 2 hours every day after work to your side hustle can help you reach the 4-hour work week over some time.
Again, honesty is paramount for you to get the most benefits from this exercise. No one is going to read it so express yourself freely and dream big. You can do it!
Takeaway
Assessing the alignment between your identified values and your actions, emotions, and envisioned life provides valuable insights. Use these techniques to gain clarity on where alignment exists and where adjustments may be needed to live more authentically and in line with your core values.
In the last post in this series, we’ll look at actionable steps aimed at integrating values into daily life for greater fulfilment. See you there!
What similarities or differences did you notice between the life you’re living and the one you want to live? share your thoughts with me on LinkedIn.
If this post resonated with you, and you’d like to streamline your core value exploration, book a FREE Discovery call with me here: https://calendly.com/lazoliabuzuzi/30min?month=2024-01
If you’d like more help, use my FREE Notion Personal Values Inventory Template to help you uncover your core values here: https://rectangular-goldfish-439.notion.site/Personal-Values-Inventory-Template-582c715f662f4088acaa1d9019e04aea
