Everyone has values. Everyone. Most people in a culture share a large set of values with each other with relatively small differences most of the time. Usually these differences are due to personal preferences, stations in life and the degree of selfishness a person has.
Since our values tell us what’s important to us, they tell us where we are going and what we are moving toward. Or away from depending on how you frame them to yourself. By thoughtfully considering what our values are and how well we live them, we can change our lives. Often we have one idea of what our values are, but upon examination, we realize that our values are not what we think.
If we believe that we value honesty, but continually tell lies or even small fibs or white lies, do we REALLY value honesty? When we live out of balance with our values we should be bothered or be uncomfortable. Our subconscious mind will try to guide us back to what our values really are. However, if you aren’t really bothered when you aren’t living what your THINK your values are, then those aren’t your values after all.
Values are the ideal that we strive for in our lives. We won’t always reach them, but we should always try to. Values define the parameters of what is acceptable and what is not regarding our behavior as well as what we expect from others. If we value honesty, we are honest and expect it from others. If we don’t value honesty, we will lie and cheat and expect others to do the same, no matter what we may think or say out loud.
Know your values. Have high, honorable values. Let them guide you in setting up your goals, your lifestyle, your career and your relationships. This is what makes you a success in life, not money, property, toys and trophy husbands or wives.
