Howdy! Now that we know what values are, and how you find them, let’s tackle the subject of how you use them.
So, why are values important?
Because they act as a compass.
Basically, they make your decisions easier and give you a model of how to behave.
Picture this:
Situation 1: you are on a mountain hiking and you notice a bear. Now you start running your legs off.
While you are running from the bear, do you see your surroundings? Do you care where you end up? Or your main purpose is to escape the bear?
Probably this is it.
Situation 2: You are on a mountain, this time you are running a marathon (or hike, whatever).
You are still running, there are still bears in the forest, but your mood is different.
You can watch the scenery, you can talk with your peers, you can have some water at the hydration station.
How is your mood? Quite different from the one in situation 1, right?
It’s the same with values.
In a difficult situation, where you don’t know what to choose - do you choose to run away from the bear, or run a marathon on the mountain?
Do you do your work because you are afraid of getting laid off? Or because you enjoy creating value?
You behave with kindness with your partner because you are afraid they will leave you, or because you want to have an affectionate and loving relationship?
You help a colleague because you are afraid they will become upset, or because you value friendship and camaraderie?
You choose to eat (mostly) healthy because you don’t want to get fat or because you want to live a healthy life.
You get the drill. Values are going towards something. Anything else is running away from something.
Now, of course, we all do stuff so bad things don’t happen. Don’t get rigid around values.
The idea is to think about the important things in your life - your relationships with yourself, others, your family, friends, colleagues - and think about how you want to be in those moments.
Do you want to run away from something - or go towards something?
When do you run away from the bear and when do you run a marathon?