How often do you reexamine your value system?

We’ve started a blog series about our values. Last week, I wrote about why identifying your core values is key to making better choices. When our actions are in line with our values, we’ll find balance and fulfillment.

Value alignment is especially important when we’re at a crossroads in life. It’s grounding to reexamine and reaffirm our values so we can move forward with confidence. Do your values still reflect what’s most important to you, or do you need to let go of an outdated value system?

Your values will change, and that’s OK 

Our values are informed by our experiences and our season of life. When you’re young, you may not be so concerned about your financial independence. But as you grow older, financial freedom might become one of your core values. When you get married or have children, your priorities shift so that you give more time and attention to your family.

Take a moment and ask yourself, “Are my values the same as they were 5 years ago? 10 years ago?” 

As you grow and mature, so too will your value system. This is only natural.

We need to cultivate an awareness of these shifts in our lives, and take the time to make note of how our values change. But why? As I wrote last week, the only way to get where you want to go in life is to make choices that are rooted in your core values. And if you’re being guided by a set of outdated values, your choices will reflect that, and steer you off-course.

Reexamining your values is about course-correcting when needed.

Seasons of transition give us an opportunity to reexamine our value system 

Change can be challenging. Painful transition may come in the form of loss – the loss of a loved one, healing after a difficult breakup, or losing your job. Joyful transition is often the opposite. We have gained something – independence after graduation, a new partner, a new career, or a new home.

Whether you decided to make a change, or it happened for you, entering into a new season of life forces you to take a hard look at your priorities and redetermine what’s important to you. The universe is asking, “Do you still value this? Do you still believe this?” 

Let’s take an extreme example. When someone dies unexpectedly, we wonder, “Why did this happen?” We’re really asking, “Why were they cheated on life?”

We go to their funeral, and we honor and celebrate a life well-lived. We reflect on the impact this person made on our lives. But this should prompt us to question our own values and what we’ve chosen to do with our lives.

When we are faced with our own mortality, we have an opportunity to ask ourselves, “What do I need to change in my life to live more fully?” 

Takeaway

Whether you fear or celebrate seasons of transition, be sure to recognize it for what it is: an opportunity to reexamine your values and decide what’s most important to you going forward. Only then can you make choices aligned with those values to embrace change and find fulfillment.

Are you navigating a season of transition? As a Certified Life Coach, I can help you (1) identify your values, and (2) take the necessary steps to align your choices with those values. Learn more about CHOICE coaching and schedule your complimentary session today.

Photo by Caleb Jones on Unsplash