How to Discover and Align Yourself to Personal Values

For you to know yourself, you should spend some time meditating. You need this so you know what will surely make you fulfilled in your life. It’s not about being the best and being praised for it since that’s too shallow. Realize early on that being liked by everyone is not worth the effort at all.

Once you know what you want in life, realize the things that you can control. Usually, people can control more than they realize so reflect on this carefully. You’re also only sure you know your values if you know them by heart. Otherwise, needing to think deeply about it always shows you don’t care.

Be careful about having a big ego or else you will be wrapped up in reputation. It’s great to be remembered for good things but honor is not good in itself. Instead of being so self-conscious about legacy, maximize the present. Realize that there are plenty of challenges now that have lessons. Also, know that your time with your loved ones is limited so enjoy the time. But don’t just be a bum around loved ones but push each other to grow.

Once you have values and goals, don’t just talk about achieving goals. Your body releases dopamine from planning goals but this is all empty. All goals only matter when you truly commit your time consistently to these. You can talk about your values and goals but it’s nothing without action.

So once you have your values, be sure to have habits that promote these. Eventually, you’ll be consistent in doing this and it’s easy to achieve goals. Everyone can have the best values to pursue but they need to operationalize. It’s only when you operationalize things when values truly matter to you.

Once you have your habits, count how much time you have left to live. This will let you know the sobering reality you’re not living forever. Usually, people feel like they’re going to live longer than they actually will. After you see how finite your time is, you become more protective of it. You will then push for only spending your time supporting your values. With this, you’re ensuring that your time now and life is a fulfilling one.

Source: Chris Williamson