Values: A person’s principles or standards of behavior; one’s judgement of what is important in life.

Life is a journey. We are all on our own unique path, in the process of navigating and finding our way. It is all too easy in today’s world to get off track and distracted from who we are, who we want to be and where we are headed.

Once you discover your core values, it is much easier to block out the noise and the distractions. They provide a roadmap of sorts that tell you when you are veering a bit off course and allow you to come back again and again to your true north. Values provide a concrete assessment of what is most important to you. Armed with this knowledge, you are able to make decisions about relationships, how you will spend your time and much more.

Our values provide a home base. When we are designing our life to line up with these core ideals, there is a sense of peace in the midst of the loud and chaotic world we live in. It is a paradigm shift from the idea that busy is better and stressed out is the norm. When we simplify and distill it down, we clearly see that when we are living a values based life, and designing our days around our values, we are automatically doing far less of the things that don’t truly matter and far more of the things that are important and create real momentum in our life.

We no longer have to live according to other people’s opinions or their values. Now, we are clear on what we view as important, and that sets the stage for a life full of productivity and possibility. This kind of life view creates sustainable and lasting change because it is authentically you. No more trying to figure out what other people expect or think. What matters is your heart, your truth and your values.

It starts with getting quiet and connecting to that inner voice that we all have. Some of us may think we know what our values are, but until we intentionally sit down and go through the process of uncovering them, we will remain in a constant state of distraction and feeling like our focused is divided.

When you are clear on your values, they become boundaries and a safe haven for you to know and to own who you are. You become clear on what you stand for and what you have to offer the world. Knowing your values is like having the answers to a test. It is up to you how you will utilize those answers. It can be a simple process to uncover our core values. Most of us have an idea, all we need is a bit of clarity to implement them into our lives on a daily basis.

A good place to start is with this values clarification exercise. Once you have your top five, you will be laying the foundation to living a values based life. Say goodbye to the never ending To Do list and hello to the Most Valuable Tasks. You will be designing your days around your values and in the process, you will see true progress on a daily basis towards the life of your dreams.