What Do You Value Most In Your Life?

Our values serve as our compass. They help us to make decisions, determine how to live our life, and act as a guide as to why something might not feel right. Knowing our values gives us power over the myriad different forces in the world around us that can pull us out of alignment. Oftentimes, when we are feeling unsettled, uneasy, or anxious about something, it is because we have disconnected from our values. And, once we realize which value we have lost, we can more easily navigate back.

Transcript

Hello and welcome to Holistic Joy.

My name is Tara Van Dam and today we'll be looking at our values.

Beginning to build a list of those things that are most important to us.

Those things that can serve as a guide,

A compass to how we live our lives and interact with others.

So let's get started.

Close your eyes or keep them at a soft gaze,

Something that's not going to invite distractions in.

And then give yourself a moment to get physically comfortable wherever you are.

If you're sitting or lying,

Perhaps even walking,

What can you do to make yourself 20% more comfortable?

Or can you adjust,

Shift,

Change?

A piece of clothing,

One of your legs that you know will likely get tingles if you don't move it.

Set yourself up for success.

And then come to your breath.

For the first few rounds of breath,

Just breathe in a way that serves you best.

I always like to start with a few really deep exaggerated breaths.

That idea of releasing something as you exhale.

Especially if you feel like you've come into this moment carrying something specific.

Maybe there's something that you're anxious about,

Something you've been obsessing about in your brain.

Just make a choice to just put a pin in it somewhere else for the next 20 or so minutes.

So that you make space for whatever is meant to manifest during this time.

And gradually,

As it starts to make more sense to you,

Begin to shift your breathing into a more calm,

Natural,

Unforced rhythm.

A breath that is peaceful and nourishing.

Perhaps there's an area of your breathing that you notice more than others.

Sometimes it's the air coming in through your nostrils where it feels kind of cool on the way in.

And softer,

Warmer on the way out.

Perhaps you feel your breath more physically in your throat,

Your chest or your belly,

Maybe even your rib cage.

Or are you sensing your breath everywhere?

There's no better way or choice.

Just gradually shift your focus so that you're inviting yourself to step your feet out of the outside reactive world and into your inner reflective world.

What's there today?

What's speaking within you on this day in this moment?

What words can you tell yourself now that you really need to hear?

Those words of kindness,

Hope,

Encouragement that you need and deserve to hear right now.

And from a place,

From that place that's filled with a little more self-love and care,

Start to bring to mind what is most important to you in your life.

Ask yourself that question,

What is most important to me in my life?

What comes to mind?

Maybe there's something that jumps out at you right away.

Maybe it's several things.

Again,

There's no better answer or right answer.

If it's important to you,

It is worth being spoken.

You may have brought to mind things like family,

Your children,

Spouse,

Your friends.

If so,

I encourage you to take it deeper.

What is it about your family and your friends that you value?

What do they add to your life that you hold very,

Very close to your heart?

Perhaps now what's coming to mind are values like love,

Support,

Maybe it's loyalty,

Authenticity.

What is it about your family,

Your friends that you value?

No matter what comes to mind,

Breathe into how they connect with you.

Breathe into how those values make you feel.

Let the love,

The authenticity,

The loyalty fill you up.

So that you remember the importance,

The beauty of them.

What else is important to you in your life?

Sometimes it feels as though there's so much,

You can't quite put a name to it.

So let's take a little journey into your memory.

Think of a time recently where you felt really pleased with your behavior,

With how you handled something,

With something you did.

You were proud and happy with yourself.

Take a moment to bring a recent memory into your mind.

Vividly remember what happened,

Where you were,

What you saw and heard and what you felt.

What was it about what you did that matters to you?

Was it your honesty,

Your integrity?

Was it your confidence,

Your independence?

What was it about what you did that pleased you,

That made you feel successful and proud?

The reason why it pleased you may very well point to a value of yours,

To something that matters,

That something that is important to you.

Generosity,

Kindness,

Helpfulness.

You will know the word,

You will know the value or values when you hear them in your mind.

And now begin to think about a situation that triggered you,

Something that recently caused you to feel frustrated,

Angry,

Maybe just unsettled.

It doesn't have to be anything big and dramatic,

It can be something small that just triggered something within you.

Allow that memory to become more vivid.

Put your feet where you were and connect with how that showed up in your heart,

Your mind and your body.

What was violated in that situation?

What possible value might have been neglected that based off how it made you feel is clearly important to you?

Was it trust,

Honesty,

Inauthenticity?

Something was there that spoke to a value of yours because it was missed,

Neglected or challenged.

What values are coming into your mind?

What is important in how you live your life and how you interact with others?

And lastly,

Think of the people in your life that you truly admire and respect.

Maybe there's one person,

Maybe there's a few.

What do they bring to the world that really speaks to you?

What values do those people or that person embody that connects deeply to something within you?

Our values serve as our compass.

They help us to make decisions.

They help us to determine how to live our life.

They act as a guide as to why something might not feel right to us.

Knowing your values gives you power over the myriad different forces in the world that try and pull us in different directions,

That try and pull us out of alignment with who we truly are and want to be.

So often the reason we feel unsettled,

Uneasy or anxious about something is because we have disconnected from those values that are so important to us.

But the beautiful thing about knowing this list is that once we realize which value we have lost,

We can very easily find our way back.

And once you're back,

Your life feels joyful and meaningful and peaceful.

No matter if you came up with one value or 50 values today,

Infuse your life with these things that are important.

Notice when they're being challenged and use them as a way to come back so that you are living your life as deeply connected to your true self as possible.

Before we start to close,

Ask yourself again,

What words can I say to myself now that I really need to hear?

How can I speak to my true self in a way that reminds me that it's always there?

Breathe deeply into all that you have to offer the world.

And slowly begin to navigate your awareness toward your physical body,

Connecting with the space that you take up within the room that you're in.

Become aware of every part of your body that is connected to a hard surface.

That is your grounding.

That is your root,

Your earth,

Your safety.

And from that place,

Become aware of all the parts of your body that are free in space and when you are rooted,

You are also connected to the part of you that is potential and growth.

And when you're ready,

Feel free to open up your eyes.

Thank you for spending the last 20 minutes on this journey with me.

I hope it was helpful,

Insightful,

And you have begun to build your list of values.

Knowing what's important to you is so helpful in guiding us in the way that we want to conduct ourselves in the world.

Keeping us closely aligned with who we are truly and who we want to be,

How we want to show up for other people and for ourselves.

So before these values escape your brain,

Grab a pen and paper,

Write them down,

Put them somewhere close so that the next time you feel challenged or triggered or you're uncertain about which path to take,

You can use your values as a way to help you navigate through.

Reviews

This was so helpful. Thank you 🌟💜 💟 I’m grateful for this new compass to guide me in a heart centered way.

So insightful!

Beautiful 🌼💝values be true to oneself honesty kindness justice ⭐🌬