VALUES: What You Stand For

Values form from the core of your understanding about the world, the basis for your deepest feelings. They act as motivators for your beliefs and actions. You can also think of them as the main themes upon which you weave the experience of your life. Values feed your passion for activities that you overtake over the long run. They do not usually change drastically throughout your life, but act as an anchor, allowing your return to your original purpose.

Your core values tell what you stand for. Many of us, unfortunately, have grown up with the sense that values are like rules—a straight jacket that limits our behavior. Yet when we look at the people who deeply believe in something, we see the opposite. We see people who can draw vast reserves of energy that seem to flow from their beliefs.

Values are energy source. A person who believes in something, who acts on what seems really important, always finds the energy to accomplish the task. People disconnected from this energy source find themselves struggling against burnout.

People tend to feel crazy if what they are doing in their work world is drastically at odds with their values. For example, a young man was having terrible stomachaches for reasons his doctor could not isolate. Something was making him very sick. Telecommunications Company, feeling very excited about the king of high tech research he would be doing, when asked about the values and beliefs concerning strategic arms control and military matters. Slowly he began to say that he had been raised in a religious tradition that opposed military service and was feeling conflicts with his values in doing his new job. He literally made himself sick with the incongruence between his personal beliefs and the mission of the company.

Not everyone experiences this level of conflict, but many people begin to fell less excitement about what they are doing if their personal values are continuously challenged at work. Connecting your personal values with your work efforts is the KEY TO KEEPING YOUR SPARK ALIVE.