Ask me what my 'teacher values' were back when I was teaching and it would be easy... I wrote lists of goals, made action plans, had belief statements, and designed lesson plans. We were told not to impose our values on the children we taught... I now see that it was kind of silly to try to completely separate values from the classroom, because apart from religious or political beliefs which I tend not to share anyway, those other deeper spiritual values were always going to be underpinning all that I did as a teacher.
Ask me what I value in a relationship, and I could answer that quite quickly after going through a process a few years ago to come up with my "LIST" of what I was looking for in any future partner. There's nothing like recovering from a train wreck of a relationship to make you question your ability to make sensible major life decisions. And interestingly enough it ended when I finally realised that our VALUES clashed heavily and that they always would!!
But ask me what my core values are now... and then ask me to limit the list to my top 5.... now that's been a real challenge! After reading a chapter about values in an Anthony Robbins book where he says that he'd be surprised if 1 person in 10,000 could list their top 10 values I started to feel a little better... this is actually supposed to be a challenge! Friends have been asking me if this process was really that necessary, or if I was having fun agonising over the details ... or telling me that I'm thinking too much. But there's a part of me that knows that life will have more clarity if I know what my core values are, and my goal has been "PEACE" for a few years now, so clarity is an important factor in achieving that peace.So what are VALUES?
- Values are those things and processes that we will invest time, energy, money and resources to move towards or away from.
- Values are ever-receding, qualitative goals that can never be fully and finally attained – they point us toward the Infinite.
- Values are the greatest power known to humanity – when they are alive.
- Values have power when we aspire to achieve them – not when we merely understand they are desirable.
- Values come alive when our emotions embrace them – not just our minds.
- Values are an embodiment of higher truth.
- Values are a path to perfection.
- Values channel our energies to express at the highest possible level.
- Values are spiritual skills.
Values are core beliefs or philosophies that are meaningful, and whether we are aware of them or not, we all have them. Sometimes they are buried deep inside, formed during childhood and left unexamined for years. Whether we like it or not, they are shaping the choices and decisions we make, and guiding and motivating our attitudes and actions, and determining how we treat ourselves and others. So it makes sense to me to know what my values really are so that I can begin to move through life with some clarity and meaningful direction. If I am clear about what I REALLY value, then decision making should be much simpler.
"All temporal human values and life values derive from 12 eternal values of existence which constitute the characteristics or properties of pure spiritual consciousness: Infinity, Eternity, Silence, Peace, Unity, Truth, Goodness, Knowledge, Power, Beauty, Love and Bliss."
http://humanscience.wikia.com/wiki/Spiritual_origin_of_values
My values are based on the faith that there is a spiritual principle, meaning or reason behind everything, but has all this thinking, reading and analysing helped me get any closer to my top 5? Maybe. I've cheated a little by using 5 of the 'eternal values of existence' as overarching higher spiritual values that encompass my 'favourite' personal values...
Love ~ empathy, compassion, loyalty, fidelity, kindness, forgiveness, family, respect (for self, environment, belongings, life, others)
Unity (Oneness) ~ tolerance, acceptance, equity, diversity, co-operation, consideration, social justice
Truth ~ integrity, honesty, trust
Peace ~ clarity, simplicity, gratitude, serenity, tranquility
Knowledge (Learning) ~ curiosity, wonder, creativity, resourcefulness, clear thinking, problem solving, imagination, wisdom
So there they are... for now...
3 comments:
I love the whole way you went about it Katrina and the list you ended up with. Thank you for sharing so much about values - all those definitions clarify things even further for me why knowing our values is so critical for lasting progress.
I find it interesting how many people will comment to you and ask if it is worth the effort and if you are thinking too much - it is not like we are spending months contemplating this. What we are doing is slowing down, taking some time to get clear on WHO we are and the WHAT we are looking for in our lives, and THEN the rest becomes so much simpler if you are honest with yourself.
Thanks for being a part of the challenge!
thankyou for a great post! i loved how you found the definition of values and the quote in the pic beside it - definitely something i will take away to ponder over :)
Thanks Deb & Lyndal,
yes it's a process to work through Deb, and I guess they know me well enough to ask the question about thinking and analysing too much, because that's what I tend to do, but in this case I think it was necessary to get that clarity I need. xx
Post a Comment