I have often heard it said that “if you want to know what a person truly values, pay attention to what they do, not what they say.” Actions do speak louder than words. Many of us are hypocrites and don’t even realize it. I have a professional belief that a considerable amount of unhappiness for leaders is that they are living in conflict with their true values and focusing on the wrong priorities. We are either moving closer to or further away from the person we’d like to be. There is no standing still. The person we become is a direct result of the outcomes we create and how we get there.
How you define success in your life is crucial! All of us need to get clear on our true values and priorities instead of making it up as we go along. Sadly, far too few of us spend enough time in self-reflection figuring this out. In the stress and busy-ness of everyday life we get distracted and often follow the path of least resistance or do what we feel is expected of us by others. There are many traps out there and we need to be careful where we tread (and why) including the importance we place on material things and who we use as our role models/influencers and let into our inner circle.
Values are the guide rails we create in our life and our priorities chart our course forward. Our life path ends up defining us whether we like it or not. The path matters. The good news is that you can always change direction and get re-centered if you get off track. However, you must follow your heart, head, and soul. All three must be coordinated with one another. Otherwise, you are beholden to luck and/or happenstance. You still may end up winning the race but is it the race YOU should be in to begin with? Success is often empty if it is devoid of meaning.
I encourage you to step back and reflect on where you are at this point in your life. Are you aligned with your values and priorities? Are you moving towards or away from the person you genuinely want to be? It’s never too late to make positive changes.
Related articles
- You Are Your Values (capacity-building.com)
- Know Thyself: Beliefs and Values (raybeerhorst.com)
- The Importance of Values (dessylinta.wordpress.com)
- Aligning Work With Personal Values Is the Best Way to Improve Productivity and Happiness At Work, Find the Edge Founder Says (prweb.com)
- Values and Beliefs (sanorainsights.wordpress.com)
- The Importance of Value and Purpose in Goal Achieving – Part 1 (bestselfcoaching.wordpress.com)
- Are Your Personal Values Aligned Along With Your Path To Success? (leccoworkshop.com)