In our 3rd article on being stuck in a rut, we will explore finding out about your true character. Knowing your inner core, helps to give you a positive direction and path to follow. By knowing your top values, beliefs and priorities you can construct a life that is in tune with your inner self. Let’s continue to concretely explore the subject in this article. Because once you defined your most cherished priorities and values, you can use this concrete, new knowledge to describe the goals in life that truly resonate with your inner self. When you choose to go with the grain of your soul, you will feel energized and in tune with the changes that need to be made to achieve your happiness.
- B) Learn more about your True Character ascertaining your priorities and values.
Another learning tool I encourage is to give a list of values and priorities and have the individual define their Top 5 in order. There are values like; hard working, dependableness, or justice and priorities like family, career or hobbies. From a personal example, my family is a top priority for me. Therefore, I would not find happiness in a job where I needed to work a lot of hours and regularly put my family on the backburner. Another illustration from my personal experience is one of my top values is dependability. Accordingly, I would not find my true contentment in a lifestyle where people live life on the edge and need to be very flexible. I prefer things to be routine and people who follow through. For example, I have talked to many airline flight attendants who have jobs pop up on Saturday, Sunday, evenings or weekends. I would be so miserable being up in the air (no pun intended) with plans all the time and yet, I have found people who find this to be an interesting or even exciting life choice.
Thirdly, I give people a list of strengths so that they can realize their true potential. You would be surprised when given a list of 100 strengths – how many you can circle. When a client can look at a page with 30 circled strengths, it gives them a great sense of empowerment. These specific assets also help exemplify how to employ your attributes to achieve your life goals. For an example, two of my virtues are storytelling and taking complex ideas and simplifying them. Both of these qualities help me in my job as a counselor, and because it’s something I love doing, it brings great fulfillment into my life.
You can now devise meaningful goals and develop an action plan driven by your ultimate aspirations. Take control, be inspired, activate your goals and become empowered! Get out of your rut.
For more information, check out “Self-Empowerment” by Rosie E. Kuhn or “Potential: the 5 Pillars to Unlock Excellence” by Kevin Cole. If you would like to read more by this author, try “Empower Yourself to Move Forward in Life….Starting Today!’ or “Define your Values, Focus your Life”. If you would like some personal help, you can book a conversation with Vicki at www.supportivetalk.com