4 Steps to Determine What You Value
One of the most powerful tools for determining what you really want
in your encore career (and life) is clarifying your personal values.
But, what exactly do I mean by values?
I like to think of values as those things that really matter to you --
what lights you up, turns you on, and gets your juices going. Being part
of a community is a personal value; so is having fun. Other examples are
family, financial freedom, beauty, spirituality, mastery, inspiration,
friendship, originality, contribution, and connection.
Your personal values are unique to you. They make life worth living.
It's important to remember that your personal values evolve over time.
What you valued in your 20s is probably very different from what you
value now in your 50s or 60s.
So, what are your top priorities for this particular time in your life?
What ideas and beliefs do you hold most dear that if your life were
designed around them, you would be truly fulfilled? What values define
how you want to live your life -- every day of your life -- from now on?
To discover your top values, start with my
120+ Personal Values flash card set. While you can print them out on
card stock, cut up and use them like flash cards, it works equally as
well to print them out on copy paper and use them as a list:
1. First Pass. Take some quiet time to go through the list one
value at a time, and make a check mark next to any that resonate with
you and make you feel good. Don't worry if you have a lot of check
marks. That's only natural, since you value many things.
2. Add Your Own. Use the list as a stepping off point and add
everything you value that's not on the list to the blank sheet on the
last page. For instance, one thing that was missing from my life for
many years that I hold very dear at this point in my life is breathing
space -- in my day, my week, my month and my year.
3. Down to 15-20. Now, go through the list again (your check
marks and your additions) and whittle it down to 15-20 values. You may
have to do several passes to narrow it down. That's okay.
4. The Top 5. Choose the five values that mean the most to you.
You'll notice that you may have two or more similar values on your list
like "create" and "design". Does the idea of one thrill you more than
the other? That's the one to pick. If they both tickle you, then they
both stay. It doesn't matter as long as every value on your list lights
you up, turns you on, and/or really gets your juices going.
The fact that you've selected only five doesn't mean the other values on
your list aren't important to you. It's just that right now in your
life, these are what hold the most meaning for you.
But here's the really big question: How much of the life you're living
right now is aligned with your values? Not so much? Not to worry. Here's
your homework: choose one of your values and create a small goal that
honors it. For instance, if "having fun" is one of your values and your
life isn't very fun right now, you might create the goal of doing
something fun every week.
Over time, create a goal for each one of your top five values. Start
small, and each time you accomplish one of these values goals, up the
ante to a larger goal. You'll discover that when you create goals around
your values, you're literally pulled toward those goals -- it feels easy
and fun. When your goals are not aligned with your values, it'll feel
like you're pushing a boulder up the side of a cliff.
You could simply use your top five values to inform the kind of
values-based encore life that would be ideal for you. Or, you could take
a big leap and create one goal -- i.e. your encore career -- that honors
all five of your top personal values, and see what you come up with!
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Retirement
Coach Dorian Mintzer, author of the popular ABC's of Revolutionizing
Retirement, helps self-reliant women reinvent themselves in the next
stage of life, formerly known as "retirement," by designing a new encore
life that includes a fulfilling
encore
career. To claim your free Encore Career Starter Kit,
visit her site at =====>
http://www.EncoreCareerStarterKit.com
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