Drinking coffee at an early age in my family was normal. At least once a month, I’d visit Grandma and have coffee with her as a young teenager. Each visit, she’d say how pretty or beautiful I looked that day. She was blind.
I often wondered why she’d make those comments since I was more a scrawny kid with braces than pretty. After so many visits, I realized Grandma valued the time I spent with her when I could have been doing a plethora of other teenage things.
Over the years, I instilled some of Grandma’s values along my career path such as honesty, organization, work ethic among so many others. I worked long hours to get the job done and done right. Looking back, those values contributed to my personal and professional happiness because they were the times I felt most fulfilled.
The concept of values in these unprecedented times has us asking what is it that we value now in our lives. The Earth has taken a deep pause during this pandemic and there seems no time than the present to stop and take this opportunity to ask yourself what’s valuable to you in how you live/work. How can I change from where I am today to where I want to be tomorrow?
Begin from a place of introspection. If you’re preoccupied with washing dishes or doing laundry while thinking of your values those activities won’t help you get to the heart them. Find a place where you can take your own pause and breath before asking yourself the questions below. In finding balance, your answers should come from a personal and professional perspective.
Top 3 Questions to Find and Identify Your Values
- What were you doing when you felt happy or the most happiness?
Values change as you grow older, however, there are underlying themes that give you a better idea about where your passion lies leading you to find the areas of resonance. - What were you proud of or most proud of in your life? Look at the scenario that created those moments. Who was there and why you felt so proud?
- What were you doing when you felt fulfilled and truly satisfied?
Identifying the need or desire fulfilled brings you closer to your why or purpose. Were there other factors that added to your satisfaction and why?
Freely jot down your list of values without having an order. As you begin to find themes or similarities begin to place them into groups. Begin comparing each value to each other while positioning them in order of most importance. Some values might take priority over others such as financial stability over philanthropy, which is why answering personally and professionally finds a delicate balance between them.
Grandma was alive during the 1918 Pandemic, but never spoke about her experience. Her blindness never took center stage because she valued self-reliance and independence. It sounds like someone I know. I was never a fanatical coffee drinker. I just enjoyed the aroma of freshly brewed coffee and still do. I stopped drinking it in 1982 when Grandma passed away. I treasured the time I had with her not only because she made the best coffee, but because I valued and was proud of the precious memories we created together. What are your values?
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