Fourth Article in the Series:
Passions, Strengths & Values
Values are the third area we will explore in the series of Passions, Strengths and Values. Each of these topics are closely related and when your life engages and utilizes all three, you’ll discover that energy, excitement and joy fill your days. When one is missing or limited, you’ll notice that life bumps and grinds along, rather than flows.
We started with Stating Your Passions as a way of being that brings joy and fulfillment to your life. Next, we focused on Why You Should Know Your Strengths or understanding our natural talents that allow us to do certain things almost effortlessly.
Values are the emollient that makes all you do flow with ease. They are the behaviors and activities to which you are naturally drawn. When you are involved in these activities or behaviors, you find yourself in “the zone”. You may notice a feeling of excitement or connectedness to what you are doing or the people around you. You feel complete and whole and your activity is effortless.
How can you identify your values?
- In the zone: Reflect back on events and occurrences, projects and other activities where you were in the zone (I am in one now writing this!). What was it that you were doing that created that feeling of excitement or connectedness?
- Use an assessment: What can be a bit tricky about #1 is identifying just what it was about what you were doing that put you in the zone. To get clarity and remove the input of external circumstances, supplement your zone study with a values assessment. E-mail me and I will share one with you.
Values can be a bit challenging to grasp, yet I encourage you to explore yours. Sure, you could get by without knowing and understanding the activities and behaviors that guide you – your internal compass of acting with integrity. Yet why would you want to? Knowing and understanding your values can help you create again and again and again, those “in the zone” moments and hours that lead to an effortless and fulfilling life.
In writing this message for you, I used three of my top six values:
- Catalyst – to impact or move
- Contribute – to serve
- Creativity – to synthesize
Tap into your Values and get “in the zone”!