Values: how to accomplish your goals

Values are normally kept to be used as a preaching method: when something goes wrong, we tend to talk about values to others, showing how good we are (or our parents, partners, relatives, etc.), and how things should be done.

In fact, values are very powerful tools. The reason is they are connected to the core of a human being. This is why when we work on something that is linked to at least one of our values, we feel enthusiasm and motivation, and it is as strong as that value is for us.

Then just imagine about the impact of values in the economy and a country development. Yes, it has lots of influence, but we normally don’t pay that much attention to them.

An easy way to bring values to our mind is connecting them to our goals. It is a very easy process…

1. Think about your goals – all of them, or just one.
2. Ask yourself: Which values I have that will help this goal to be fulfilled?
3. A second question is necessary: Which values I don’t have in my personality or they are not well developed and that would help this goal to be fulfilled?
4. Related to the former questions: How do I check whether my values are present in the actions corresponding to the goal? In which way can I develop the values I am missing?

That will help particularly in the area of emotions and motivation. After all, achieving a goal is not that easy; if it were, it wouldn’t be necessary to be a goal; we would just go and do it.

A few more tips:

1. Be very clear about your goals and it is better to focus on just one at a time.
2. Be very honest about the values you have, no moral judgement will help you. An easy way is to think about the last time you have used that value in your life; if it is more than one year, you should think of including it in the list of values to be developed.
3. There are several ways to develop a value. If you are a religious or spiritual person, your practice will help you. You may also check on another person you feel who has that value and check with him how he does it; don’t try to copy her or him, but just use that life as a foundation for your own development.
4. Checking is fundamental here. If you are serious about this, you could get someone else as a coach, mentor or a good friend, who may help you doing it.

By doing this a few times, it will become natural and you will develop your own way of doing it too. I am sure it will work for you as it has worked for me.