To really understand value, I asked myself, what does value even mean, and what do I value?
Value is defined as a person’s principles or standards of behavior; one’s judgement of what is important in life. In other words, things we value are meaningful, impactful, and useful like the love of our animals, family, deep connection, honesty, integrity, and authenticity to name a few of my favorites.
What are the things you value most? I listed some of mine above, see what lands on your list.
The next step is to gauge how you are living up to these things you value. I considered whether I was a good dog mom, a good partner, a good sister, was I being honest, acting with integrity and being authentic?
Gauge yourself if you’re up for it. On most days, for most things, are you living in integrity to your values?
Now, take a look at those you are seeking value from and become curious about what they might value. Perhaps you will begin to see you simply value different things. Perhaps, like me, you will realize you don’t want to give up the things you value, and you don’t want to force what is valuable to you onto others. Maybe you’ll even make peace with the differences.