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One of the biggest challenges we face is maintaining clarity in life, work, and relationships. Values are the lens we use to make sense of everything, and once we start to get caught up in the layers of our life, we can lose sight of what's really important to us and the people we care about.
If you've ever wondered why you can't keep your life in check, it's because you can't see what's right in front of you. It's not because you're bad or stupid, or you are doing things wrong it's because the clutter of your life is blinding you.
We're all sensitive to different signals about what's important; the trick is to stand back, take a deep breath, and reexamine them.
Here are five benefits of clarifying your values:
Clarifying your values will help you make better decisions
The first and most apparent benefit of clarifying your values is that it will help you make better decisions. If you know what's important to you, then you can better identify where your time and resources are going. When we don't take the time to think about our values, we struggle to make any decision because we're not sure which one will be the best for our situation.
That leads to a lot of stress, anxiety, and wasting time on tasks that aren't important.
You'll have a better sense of urgency
The more clarity you have in your values, the less time you'll spend on things that don't matter. This is because you'll know what to focus on and what not to focus on. You'll also have a better sense of urgency when making decisions.
For example, let's say you have a job opportunity that doesn't align with your values. With clarity in your values, you'll be able to quickly decide whether or not to take the job offer without getting stuck in overthinking.
You will be able to release and move on.
You'll Have a Better Sense of Motivation
When you know what values are important to you, you'll have a much better sense of the things that motivate you.
You will be clearer on what needs to be done, and it'll be easier to set goals in line with your priorities. In addition, you'll be able to see the difference between what's important to you and what's not important enough to make time for.
You'll be less distracted by urgent but irrelevant matters
It may sound counterintuitive, but the more time you spend clarifying your values, the less likely you will be distracted by urgent but irrelevant matters.
The reason is simple: it's easier to prioritize our time and energy accordingly when we know what's important to us. When things become urgent but aren't necessary, they don't matter and can be ignored until they are essential.
Another benefit of clarifying your values is that you'll be able to make better decisions without feeling guilty or regretful. Do you know those moments where you second-guess yourself? They happen because there are two variables fighting for your attention and input. Without knowing what's most important to you, it's challenging to develop a solution that satisfies both sides of the equation and creates a potential for getting stuck.
Reduced stress and be more joyful
We all want to reduce our stress levels and live more joyfully. What if one of the best ways to do that is by taking a few minutes to think about what's important to you? It might not seem like it, but clarifying your values can significantly impact how you feel about your life in general.
It's been shown that people who are clear about their values have lower levels of stress than those who aren't. And because they know what they want out of life, they're more likely to achieve their goals, which leads to less anxiety, more fulfillment and an abundance of joy.
If you spend some time thinking about what's truly important to you, the chances are good that you will feel better, live more meaningfully, and get closer to achieving your goals in life.
Conclusion
It's easy to get busy with life and lose sight of what's important. But if you take the time to write down what matters to you, you'll embrace the creator role of your life.
To help you with your journey to clarity, motivation and value-based living, we created a workbook called "Getting to the Heart of your Values."
It is a self-paced guided to living the life you want and can be used repeatedly as your values change. We recommend revisiting your values at least once a year and optimally twice.
Dave is a Leadership, Life Coach and Equine Guided Facilitator living in Steveston, B.C., Canada. Dave has experience with individuals that feel stressed out and exhausted and know that they want something different.
In 2017, Dave left a career as a Senior Manager at a large Local Government organization to start Small Pause Coaching & Consulting. His philosophy about taking a pause and inviting in a new conversation, a deeper conversation, has supported hundreds of individuals and organizational clients.
He is a Certified HeartMath® Coach & Mentor, a trained Equine Guided Learning Facilitator and a Certified Coach with the ICF. Dave took his coaches training at the Newfield Network in Boulder, Colorado.
You can learn more about his work at www.smallpausecoach.com or look him up on LinkedIn, Instagram or Facebook.
Dave also expresses his creativity through the Small Pause Shop, where he designs apparel that supports living life 'inside the pause.'