Values are the silent partners guiding our actions.
They are the reason why we do what we do, even if we’re not consciously negotiating our decision-making with values at the forefront. Don’t believe me? Here are five ways they are impacting your life and if you’re married, your relationship with your spouse.
1. Values are the driving force behind our motivation, spurring us on to get things done or holding us back in fear.
2. Values are the source of conflict inside of us, as one competes for attention over another.
3. Values are the source of conflict with others, as your priority values come up against someone else’s.
4. Values shape your sense of purpose and direction, making you feel like you know where you’re heading and why.
5. Values can hold you back, as you live out the values you caught from your family, church, community, workplace, or culture, rather than choosing the values that resonate with who you are today.
The best news is that values can change and should change as we mature, but that requires a self-awareness about values in the first place.
Values drive our actions often from a place of guilt, shame, fear, or pride. Yes, that can definitely be a problem! And that’s one of the many reasons why identifying the silent partner of values as a way of uncovering the discrepancy between beliefs and actions can be one of the most powerful exercises you can do to find a sense of peace and purpose in your life. It will also help improve your relationships, especially within your marriage or a work environment.
For example, you might value beauty, such as the way you home looks or workspace, while also valuing peace, especially in relationships. But keeping your home or desk at work looking just right when you live in a community with others can definitely result in conflict, both internally and externally.
Once you identify the values that are competing within yourself and with others, you can begin to strategize compromise and effective solutions.
Core values are both internal as well as external and lead to personal anxiety and communication conflict.
The good news is that it doesn’t have to stay that way.
While there will always be conflict, internally and externally, once you identify values, you can get to the solution sooner. Even more beneficial is the process of taking the time to identify values and move through the process of establishing a personal and family values-driven vision statement with specific steps to take to live out those values day-to-day.
The Individual Core Values Worksheet is designed to help you move through that process of identifying your core values so that you can find congruency in how you’re choosing to live each day.
