Project 2012: Day 23
What do you value?
Seriously, have you every written it down? Have you prioritised your values? Do you know, say, your top five values? Do you really value your family above achievement? Which is more important to you Honesty or loyalty?
Why should you care? More importantly, why care when all you’re doing is looking for your next job? Couple of reasons:
- There’s nothing worse that working in an environment where your personal values don’t match what you do, or how the company you work for expects you to do.
- Congruence drives confidence, and makes you compelling. Interesting to those you engage with.
Ok so becoming congruent, responding to the world in line with your values helps you find the right job for you, and increases your potential to be hired. Here’s the sure fire way to find out your own (and other’s) real values.
Check your bank account, and your calendar….
…that’s it.
You only have 2 essential resources: Your time, and your material wealth. As these are both limited resources, you have to prioritise what you spend them on. These priorities either reflect what you value, or you’ll be miserable/stressed.
Pretty much everyone I speak to says they value their family above work. Check what they spend their time and money on though. If they spend more time at work, and they’re happy about that, there’s your answer.
So the actions then:
- Make a list or chart of how you’ve spend your time and money (week, month, year)
- Use that to help you identify your values
- If there is something you value (say passion for photography) that isn’t on the list, then work out how to get more time & resources onto this, and what you need to replace on the list.
- If you realise you’re spending an inordinate amount of time/money on something you really don’t value, put a plan in place to take that off the list.
Seriously, responding to life congruently is the one thing that will help you become great. All the great leaders of the world respond from their values, becoming who they were created to be.