Family Values In Practice

In my previous post I offered an exercise — sorry, you have do the exercises if you want to get in shape — which elicited from you the values you currently hold about your family.  By ranking those values, you should have a conscious sense (perhaps for the first time) of what’s at stake as you interact as a family.

BTW, it’s extremely helpful if both spouses do the exercises together.  By doing the exercise together and comparing results you will see any potential conflicts.  For example, if “togetherness” is number one on your list and your spouse says that number one is “education”, you will probably have to do some negotiating.  BUT at least you’ll know where you stand.

Why is this important?

Simply put, your values are what’s important to you.  They control what you do and the way you act – even if you haven’t consciously thought about them.  So often we go through our daily routines completely unaware of the values that are shaping our behavior.  By getting them down on paper and ranking them you have a map of what makes you tick in this area of life.

Once you see the framework that you are acting from you can take satisfaction from knowing that you being consistent to your values OR you may find that the values you are enacting are not working for you and you are free to change them.

Hint: This value ranking technique is very helpful in all areas of life including health, career, personal development, and spiritual development.

Go here for a shortcut for dealing with day-to-day stress.