What Are Your Guiding Core Values and Which Ones Matter the Most to You Today?
Our core values are a set of beliefs, yet the ones we want to focus on can change.
Some days, I want to cry. On other days, taking a walk in nature will do the trick to stabilize my mood. Still, at other times, I’m filled with gratitude and joy.
I have been dealing with a loved one who is showing dementia symptoms. If you have experienced this, you understand.
He repeatedly asks the same questions. My answers always stay the same, yet he has no recollection of them.
Most of the time, his attitude is sweet; other times, he’s short-tempered and angry. Often confused and belligerent. He also has moments of clarity, wit, and charm.
It’s difficult for me to be consistently patient. I do my best not to say — ‘I’ve already told you…’
He denies he is having cognitive issues and refuses to be tested. He’s due for an annual exam soon, and I plan on working with his doctor to assist in getting him to a neurologist.
My core value with him daily is patience.
Considering and changing our core values
We all have core values by which we live our lives.
When we were children, we often adopted the values our parents cherished. As we matured into adults, we formed our core value system. These values change over time as our circumstances change.
When I was working and striving in my career and raising my children, my values differed from those I adopted in retirement.
My core values centered on love, success, patience, learning, and fun during the years I worked and my boys were young. One had to be sure to have fun while raising two boys, and we were constantly learning. I wanted success in my career, and patience was mandatory in all those areas.
Once I retired, growth, connectedness, and learning were at the forefront. I added pickleball, writing, and designing collages to aid my growth and learning. I made great friends through my new sport.
Always a part of my core is kindness, compassion, and peace.
We’re often unaware of our core values, though they may drive us.
We may desire to excel in tennis — our core value may be ‘mastery’ without recognizing this.
Also, our core values for the day may change from one day to another. This doesn’t mean that we’ve forsaken the other values. It means we are focused on one or two in particular.
Consider your day ahead and what core values you will observe today. Ask yourself — why is this important to me today?
As I finished my morning meditation, I decided the core values I would focus on today were compassion and kindness and adding more patience.
I knew I would be engaging with my relative who has dementia, and I wanted to be assured to observe those values.
According to the website Lifehack:
Our core values are principles or beliefs that you hold most dear and that are of central importance in your life. It also covers what you believe is important in the way you live and work.
Your core values are a testament to your true self because they are what matters most to you when it comes to your personal and professional life. It is that little voice in your head that tells you whether or not to care about something and how you should prioritize your time.
There are an infinite number of core values we can embrace. I’m sharing, in random order, my top core values.
20 of my core values
- Gratitude
- Acceptance
- Creativity
- Growth
- Health
- Compassion
- Kindness
- Connectedness
- Success
- Fun
- Inspiration
- Justice
- Peace
- Learning
- Love
- Positivity
- Happiness
- Mastery
- Truth
- Patience
Gratitude is a core value that I embrace daily. When I open my peepers, I first say: “Thank You, God, for giving me another day.”
I have also learned acceptance of what life brings me.
Keep your thoughts positive because your thoughts become your words. Keep your words positive because your words become your behavior. Keep your behavior positive because your behavior becomes your habits. Keep your habits positive because your habits become your values. Keep your values positive because your values become your destiny. — Mahatma Ghandi.
We must be sure that whatever our core values are, they are a reflection of us. We don’t want to follow willy-nilly what the crowd believes is important.
Our internal standards will come forth when we take the time to determine what our deepest-held values are.
Honoring your core values can improve your productivity, relationships, inner peace, and your life.