THE CONCEPT: KNOW WHAT YOU VALUE
In our last topic, we looked at the power of pause, and how rest and renewal are integral parts of performing at your peak.
If you stopped to ask a friend – or yourself – “What are the most important things in your life?” Chances are, we could speak them out loud. But what if someone asked you, “What are the things that are so important to you, that if someone took them away, your life wouldn’t be worth living?” Could you speak those things out lout?
We often meet with athletes who come to us saying that they feel stuck, or that they can’t decide which direction to move in when faced with important choices. When I hear this, my first reaction is that I understand, because I’ve been there too. And my second reaction is to ask: “What do your core values say about this?”
The most helpful way to gain clarity about how to make difficult choices, or answer questions like, “What’s next,” or even get clear on the things that might no longer have a place in your life is to know your core values.
Companies are big on defining their mission, vision, and values. They sketch out values as a guide for how employees are called to show up at work; how they’re meant to collaborate with each other, and interact with customers, partners, and stakeholders. The same can be true for our lives.
Once we define our core values, we can use them as a litmus test for how we organize our days, how we build relationships with people around us, and how we show up – on the field or court, in our jobs, and with our family and friends. We do this by asking ourselves: does this [activity/choice/friendship/relationship/sponsorship/job] reflect my core values? In what way does it align with what I’m about at the deepest level?
Our lives are much like the trees we drew in the Worksheet from the topic “Take Time to Rest.” Just as a healthy tree needs strong, healthy roots in order to bear the fruit it was intended to bear, we also need to grow our own roots (read: be intentional about defining and living a life in alignment with our core values) in order to feel confident and clear about where we’re going, what we’re choosing (or not!), and why.
TRY IT!
Click on the image below to download this topic’s worksheet. It’ll walk you through the process of choosing and defining your own personal core values.
