Do you know what you stand for? Have you ever had to take a stand for something?
Alexander Hamilton coined the phrase…
“If you don’t stand for something, you will fall for anything.”
It seems to me that when we think of taking a stand for something it is usually something like human rights, the right to practice any religion we choose, the right to love who we choose, to stand up to bullies, to stand for justice, etc.
What surprises me is that we rarely take the time to create, know and anchor our OWN beliefs/values so that we know what WE stand for FOR OURSELVES.
We get so busy looking externally we don’t take the time to go internally. YES you have heard me talk about this before and I want to continue talking about this. It’s that critical.
Often we don’t know where our line in the sand is on many issues. Take how people talk to us. We accept things that at the time do not feel good, hurt and down right feel wrong for anyone to say to another human being. We sometimes don’t say things to the person. EVER. Not just in that moment yet ever. When we compromise what we stand for, what we value, we compromise ourselves.
There are subtle ways that things cross our lines and before we know it we are clear on the other side of being OK with the situation. This can be with a partner, friends, a boss, our kids. We realize that maybe not only has the line been crossed we have allowed ourselves to be pushed and pulled by someone else’s intentions and not our own.
AND we allow OUR OWN ACTIONS to cross our own core values and beliefs as well.
Knowing our own core values helps us to live in congruence with ourselves. It serves as our blueprint to create more harmony, intention, joy and whatever else you hold near and dear to YOU and your soul. There are literally thousands of core values to choose from.
Love, Passion, Compassion, Kindness, Safety are some I have chosen for myself, just to name a few.
If you have never written out in black and white what YOUR core values are, NOW IS THE TIME.
Make 2019 YOUR time to KNOW FOR SURE what is at the core of what you value, believe and want more of in your life, or in some cases LESS OF.
So lets break one of them down so you can see how to get started.
Step One
Write down ALL the values you hold near and dear. Don’t know what they are? or what would be on a list? Do some exploring by looking it up online. You can find lists of core values easily. MORE than enough. You want to make a list that is everything you think is important.
Step Two
Narrow it down to the top 7 or 8. You might go WHOA that is not enough. I guarantee you that you can combine some into a more major category.
Step Three
Once you have your top list, ask yourself these three questions:
- What does having _____________as a core value ADD to you life.
- If you didn’t have _____________as a core value what do you think would be LOST or MISSING in your life?
- How will you know you are honoring this core value in your life? What will it look like, sound like and feel like?
Write everything down for each Core Value.
Once this is completed live with it for 3 months and notice when you are honoring the core value and when you might be not standing FOR YOURSELF and simply make note so you can course correct the next time it occurs.
I’d love to hear the Core Values you come up with in the comments below! And if you get stuck, I’m always here to help you Break Free.
Please Share Your Thoughts