Have you ever felt lost? Directionless? Overwhelmed and unsure of what your next step should be? We have all been there at one point or another. The good news is that there are some great strategies to get us back on track to living a life that feels focused and genuine to who we are.

One such strategy is to explore what are VALUES are.

What is a value? And how does it differ from a goal?

Think of values as the blueprints of your life; the skeleton and foundation of what holds you up. If all the material possessions you own suddenly disappeared, what would you be left with? What would keep you going?

Modern society often emphasizes GOALS. How many times have you been asked what your goals are? To be clear, goals are 100% necessary to building a life worth living. Goals give us something concrete and manageable to work towards. They have a beginning and an end. The trouble is, we often lose focus and motivation for our goals when they aren’t properly informed by our values.

To break it down simply:

Goals answer the what. Values answer the why. We need BOTH to become unstuck and create movement towards the life we want.

Why attend that family function when it feels so awkward?

Why bother studying for that difficult exam?

Why ask that person to go on a date?

Why run that marathon?

Having a handle on your why will help you when the going gets tough; when you feel like giving up or giving in. The why can also ensure that we aren’t setting goals that feel like busywork – things that just ultimately distract us and don’t really serve a purpose.

Getting started with values exploration

• Begin by brainstorming several words that capture that “foundation” of who you are and what you stand for. Think of the things that matter most to you. Some examples are: self-improvement, physical health, family, achievement, community involvement.

• Choose 1 to commit to focusing on for the next week.

• Really sit with this word. Take some time to really think about what it means to you.

• Ask yourself: How important is this value to me right now in my life? Somewhat, very, not very? If the answer is “not very,” it would be wise to select a different value to work on – one that feels important to your life right now.

• Once you’ve settled on a value that feels important to you, ask yourself: how aligned does my current life feel with this value? Are my daily goals and actions consistent with this value?

• If the answer to the above questions is “generally yes” then great! Keep doing what you are doing. If the answer is “generally no,” then proceed to the next step.

• What is one small, actionable step you can take today to feel more aligned with this value? (ex. I value relationships, so my action step will be to call my grandmother today to check on her). Once you’ve achieved this, celebrate and set another actionable step you can take tomorrow.

Be well,

Dr. Anna Sheedy