Who Do You Admire & Respect?
It says a lot about what’s important to you
To be mature you have to realize what you value most. It is extraordinary to discover that comparatively few people reach this level of maturity. They seem never to have paused to consider what has value for them.
They spend great effort and sometimes make great sacrifices for values that, fundamentally, meet no real needs of their own. Perhaps they have imbibed the values of their particular profession or job, of their community or their neighbors, of their parents or family.
Not to arrive at a clear understanding of one’s own values is a tragic waste. You have missed the whole point of what life is for.
- Eleanor Roosevelt
You Learn by Living: Eleven Keys for a More Fulfilling Life
This feels a little harsh, but it resonates with my desire to identify and align with what matters most to me.
And also, because I have spent so much effort and made sacrifices for values that someone else set for me.
Question everything.
I teach a workshop called Life Pruning. It’s full of writing prompts to help you identify what matters most to you. It’s reflective, illuminating, and much more effective than circling words on a values sheet.
