Are You Honoring Your Values?

I have clients come to me all the time that are dissatisfied with their life and the direction it is taking. One client in particular, a woman in her mid-thirties, was climbing the corporate ladder enjoying many perks, but miserable. After working together she realized the corporate dream was not her own, but a dream her parents instilled in her. Her entire life, and all of the choices she made thus far, went against her own core values. She realized fairly quickly why she was so unhappy. Making a significant amount of money was simply not something she valued, however she was living her life in order to make this money. She was giving everything up in the process, things that she did value and hold close to her heart. Once she discovered what it was she really valued, we took the steps to build a life based on those. She started rearranging how she spent her time, and we discovered her true passion and path. Have you ever taken the time to list out what your own core values are? Is the way you are living your life honoring these values? Eventually my client left this corporate job, started her own company, and experienced real joy and peace for once. Once she was able to listen to her own voice, not the voices from parents, colleagues and friends, was she able to choose her own destiny. Take some time this week to reflect on how you are spending your time and precious energy.

ACTION TIPS FOR THE WEEK:

1. Core Valuesn What are your core values? Get out a sheet of paper and list everything you value. Don't filter, just write. Maybe it is freedom, money, travel, creativity, or possibly family. After you have this list, then narrow it down to your top 5. This is your top 5 core values. I know it is difficult to narrow it down, but give it your best shot.

2. Are you honoring these?
Now the difficult question. Is how you are spending your time on a daily basis, honoring these values? If one of your top values is family, but you are working 60 hour weeks and traveling every month, are you honoring this value? Of course not. You may say you are honoring this value because you are providing for your family, but you are not present and engaged with your family. So only you can decide if it is worth the sacrifice. There is no right or wrong answer here, just look at your life and look at your values and see if there is a similarity.

3. Make adjustments
Things are not going to magically change on their own, it is up to you to create your own destiny. If your life is not paralleling your values, it is time to make some adjustments. This is precisely why so many individuals are unhappy. They are going against the current in their own life, meaning they are swimming upstream. You can listen to your heart, follow your passions and live a life that you feel great about. Or, you can ignore these feelings, continue living life as is, and feel a sense of dissatisfaction. Take some time this week to clarify where you need to make some changes. If you need some guidance and clarity, feel free to contact me for a free consult.

Good Luck!
Have a great week!n n
Leslie

Leslie Gail is a Certified Life Coach who supports busy people in achieving personal and professional success without compromising their values. Leslie is on a panel of experts for KOSI radio in Denver as well as Alice 105.9, she publishes articles and appears regularly on 7News in Denver. Contact Leslie directly at New Life Focus or call 1-866-779-0731 for a FREE coaching consult.