Living By Your Values to Create a More Meaningful Life

This week, we continue exploring the Meaning Pathway of the PERMAH model.  Meaning connects us deeply to our lives; it’s the reason we get up every day and allows us to face life with focus and excitement. 

Identifying and living by your values is one step toward living a more meaningful life. 

What are values?

Values are the beliefs and ideals that guide you. Everything you do in life is connected to your values.

 “We don’t have to be perfect, just engaged, and committed to aligning values with actions”  Brene’ Brown

I view values as your compass; they give you direction to live by and provide meaning in your life. Understanding your values will help you make choices and establish your sense of purpose.  

Some examples of values include loyalty, compassion, kindness, integrity, empathy, generosity, and trustworthiness. 

Living by your values

Living by your values means you do more than just adopt them; you live by them. When you walk the talk, you are clear about what you believe and hold important to living an authentic life. You say what you mean and mean what you say. You take care that your intentions, words, thoughts, and behaviors align with your values. When you live by your values, it will be obvious to others the values you espouse.

So, for example, if you value honesty, you would be unlikely to tell lies or hide information from people, and you would surround yourself with people who also value honesty.  You would have little to no tolerance for people who are dishonest, and in not allowing those people to be a part of your life, you are living by your values. 

Aside from the values that shape who we are and how we act, there are also the things we value in life, such as health. If you say you value health, you will choose to eat healthy food, move regularly, and sleep well to recharge, versus skipping workouts and engaging in unhealthy eating.  This is also living by your values. 

Explore your values

This week, explore your values and reflect on the behaviors that help you live these values and the behaviors that are not aligned with them. 

Are there behaviors or habits you want to change to live congruently with your values?

Reflect on the following questions to help narrow down your values:

• Think of a time when everything was working/feeling good. What values were you honoring?
• Who inspires you? What are their qualities?
• What do you want your legacy to be? What values relate to this?
• What behaviors come naturally to you and create positive emotions?
• What qualities and characteristics do you value in others?
• Are there spiritual or religious ideas that you lean on often or live by?
• What are the causes you care the most about?

When you find the answers to these questions, you can begin to create a full picture of what your values are and how they play into your everyday life. 

Keep going, keep growing…

Related Posts:

How To Start Living Your Life More Meaningfully

Are You Spending Enough Time Pursuing Your Passions?

The Art of Crafting Meaningful Tasks