Newsletter

VIII. The Magic Wand Continued: Exploring Who You Are - Core Values

So how did you do in answering the questions I presented in the Introduction? Did you set aside the time to answer them? If not, then maybe you are not ready to discover your magic wand to happiness and fulfillment. And that's ok, because when you are ready you will do it. If you did set aside the time, what did you learn about yourself? Are you ready to proceed with this adventure?

And the next part is really an adventure, for with the next five newsletters or so you are going to be discovering who you are. Also what motivates you and what you bring to this great journey. In order to have happiness and fulfillment you have to know what they look like for you, you have to know what important to you. That's why it is time to find out exactly who you are right now. Also you can't know how to get where you want to go until you know where you are right now. Imagine taking a map and deciding you wanted to get to San Diego. You may find San Diego on the map but even working backwards it's impossible to map out your course if you don't know where you are starting from.

In this newsletter you will begin to explore your values. Values are what you hold to as having real merit or worth. They are the beliefs or philosophies that are really meaningful to you. Values can range from the routine such as competence, accountability and self-reliance to the more spiritual values of joy, freedom, and beauty. Your values and/or your value system is made up of core values and learned values. This week you will work with discovering your core values.

Core values are the values of your fundamental nature. They are the values you came in with, they are what you authentically hold as having worth. They are part of our authentic selves. They are from our soul and facilitate the creation of our soul purpose. That is the purpose why we are here at this point in time. These are the values that were part of you when you were born and feel like the essential you. Without saying more about your core values, I am going to ask you to do the exercise for this week.

II. Exercise on Core Values

Again, pick a time when you will have at least an hour of quiet; turn off all outside stimuli including all phones, and find a comfortable, quiet spot where you will not be disturbed. Now take out a piece of paper or your journal. Start by taking three deep breaths in the following manner: 1) inhale through your nose for a count of eight (8) bringing your breath all the way to your belly, 2) hold the breath for a count of four (4) and; 3) exhale through your mouth for another count of eight (8). This will relax you and bring you to the present moment.

1. Now I want you to write down the name of every person you admire. They do not have to be living people, they can be people from history, from your past, and even from literary or mythological works.
2. After you have written down the names of the people you admire, go through the list and write down the attribute that you most admire in them.
3. Look through your list of attributes and at the bottom of your page, write down the word that best describes each of the characteristics you have the listed. Write down each attribute only once, i.e., you may have listed your Uncle Henry and Oprah as both being wise, list wise only once.
4. Then from the list of common personal values below find the value that best represents the characteristic you used to describe your admired persons. For the example above, you could write down the value of wisdom for wise.
5. The list you have compiled at the bottom of your sheet are your core values.

Core Values Continued

Are you wondering what you need to do with these values. Actually for now you need do nothing except note that these are your true, core values. These are the values you have come here to embody in your professional and personal life.

However, you might want to note as you go through your daily life where you are not embodying these values. For instance, let's say personal growth is one of your core values. Now if you are staying in a job that feels like it is killing your soul, then maybe it is time to start looking at work that may be more in alignment with your core value of growth.

Top of Page





Common personal values

Abundance Accuracy Achievement Admiration Advancement Adventure Appreciation Arts Authority Balance Beauty Calm, peace Challenge Change, Variety Cleanliness Collaboration Commitment Communication Community Compassion Competence Competition Creativity Decisiveness Democratic Detachment Efficiency Emotion Energy Entrepreneurial Environmental Preservation Equality Ethical Practice Excellence Excitement Expertise Faith Fame Fast Living Fast-paced Work Financial Gain Financial Security Freedom Generosity Gratitude Having a Family Honesty Humor Independence Influencing Others Inner Harmony Integrity Intellectual Challenge Involvement

Job Tranquility Joy Knowledge Leadership Location Love Loyalty Meaning Mindfulness Nature Openness Order Patience Personal Development or Growth Physical Challenge Pleasure Potential (living up to my) Power Privacy Public Service Quality Relationships Recognition Responsibility & Accountability Right Livelihood Safety Self-respect Serenity Sexuality Sharing Simplicity Spiritual Life Status Strength Teamwork Timeliness Tolerance Tradition Tranquility Trust Truth Understanding Unity Variety Vitality Wholeness Wisdom Working with Others Working Alone ______________ ______________ ______________ Top of Page

Sedona Sunrise
(520) 400-8250
sedona@sedonasunrise.com