What Are Personal values and Why Do They Even Matter?

Think for a moment of the people in your life that you hold in high regard. Who do you respect and look up to? Choose one to start.

It could be someone you know in real life, a historical figure, or even a superhero or actor in a movie.

Then choose another. Ponder for a moment on what it is about these people that you admire. What characteristics? What is it about them that you’re drawn to?

Typically, we’re drawn to people when our values align with theirs – or aspects of them.

Personal values are the things that drive us. They are what we make time for. They’re what we hold in high regard.

If our lives are going well, we’ll be making time for the things that we value and align with. If life feels out of balance, the opposite could be true.

Values change over time, and that’s fine – and how it should be. For example, what you valued at 20 years old will not likely be the same with each decade after that.

If an area of your life, or an action you’re taking, feels off or is annoying or frustrating you, when the same thing didn’t in the past, it could be that your values have changed around it, but your actions or life circumstances haven’t changed to match.

I’m a hypnotherapist & NLP practitioner, and when someone comes to see me to stop smoking or make a change at perhaps 40 years old, it’s often because their values have changed and health is now more of a focus – something that would most often not have been the case as a teenager or in their early 20s when they first started.

If someone comes to see me for a substance issue or weight loss, for example, and they don’t necessarily value health (or didn’t always), it’s no surprise that they haven’t been living a particularly healthy lifestyle.

It’s a worthwhile exercise to check in on your values now and again.

Ask yourself: What is important to me now, at this stage of my life? What matters the most?

If you do want to change something, it’s helpful to understand that it’s common to have a conflict between what we ‘feel like’ in any given moment and what we value.

We might ‘feel like’ sleeping in, or lying on the couch every night after work. If you do truly value health, for example, you’ll make the time to get off the couch – or before you sit there – and go and do some kind of exercise or activity, or make time to cook a healthy meal.

It’s when we recognise that battle that it becomes easier to choose what we value more often – or want to value – and that’s a big first step to creating change.

Thinking beyond that moment is key.

We’re all works in progress, and that’s how it’s meant to be.

In whichever way works for you, I encourage you to keep setting yourself up for success and creating and living a life that aligns with your unique and ever-changing values.

You’ll know if you’re on track in any given area, because life just feels easier, whether good or not, especially before or after you take any given action. You’ll recognise it when you tune in.

All the best,

Wendy Gadsby

Make Changes NLP & Hypnotherapy

Wendy is a certified hypnotherapist and NLP practitioner working from Sunshine Primary Health. Wendy is here to support you in creating meaningful change in your life. If you’d like help with something values-related or otherwise, reach out and let’s start with a chat. You can book a time for a call using the calendar link, or call 1800 760 249.