Values – Soar or Sore!

Are you flying in the wind or flying by the seat of your pants?

Are you like a bird in the wind flying on the thermals with a clear direction of where you’re going before you take off, or are you making it up as you go along, deciding on a course of action as you go!

I feel we can fall into the ‘sore’ trap by either being prone to distractions or reacting to someone else’s demands, requests or problems, to the detriment of our work, business or personal life! We fall into the trap of putting others first and ourselves second!

Why do we do this I wonder?

Is it because we don’t value ourselves enough, or at all, or is it because we don’t value what we are doing enough to stay with what we’re doing, instead fighting someone else’s fires or helping others.

If we valued our own time; valued ourselves; knew the values of our business and understood that these values are fundamental in what we do and what we are, we would focus on us first and foremost.

Values, according to the dictionary means ‘beliefs of a person or social group in which they have an emotional investment’.

Whether we are talking values or goals, if we don’t have an emotional benefit invested in ourselves, our business, our work, our lives then we end up focusing on things or others.

I fell into the trap years ago of being a ‘yes’ person and taking on more and more for others. I had to make a concerted effort to value me and my time and more importantly my life!

How much do you value your time?

Value yourself and your time by answering these questions:

1. Do you know what your values are?

2. Do you understand your values?

3. What value do you put on you?

4. What value to you put on your business?

5. Do you value your time?

6. Do you value yourself?

If you answered no to 3 or more of the above questions, follow these TEN STEPS to value yourself and your time!

Write down bullet points for the following:

1. What image do you have of yourself?

2. What image do you want to project?

3. What areas do you struggle or feel over-whelmed with?

4. Who or where would you go to for help?

5. What areas do you feel you over-commit yourself?

6. What key areas are important for you in personal or business life?

7. List some of your personal values

8. List some of your business values

9. Group them into categories

Prioritise your values and follow them

Working through the 10 steps above, create a time plan which will give you clarity on knowing what you want, where you are going and by when.

Instead of being sore by flying by the seat of your pants, make a choice to draw a line in the sand, and instead choose to soar like a bird in the wind with a clear plan of where you are headed, for what purpose and why.