We all get off course from time to time. That’s part of being human.
Sometimes life throws us unexpected curveballs and sometimes we make a series of conscious (or unconscious) choices only to wake up realizing that we’re simply not where we want to be.
It can happen slowly, with a series of small decisions that we justify because, well, we’re not steering that far off-course. We vow that we’ll stop with one more small divergence away from who we are and won’t take it further.
Yet, we find ourselves pushing our boundaries just a little more, because, again, it seems well-justified. However, before we know it, we’ve taken so many steps away from our true self that things don’t feel right. We hit a wall and feel unhappy. We feel constantly tired and frustrated and can’t seem to get to the root of our problems.
The story looks a little different for everyone, but the theme often remains the same – that is, we either fail to acknowledge what we value, or we don’t act in ways in which we prioritize them.
Overlooking our personal value system starts at a young age. Did we ever take a class in school that taught us about the importance of connecting with our values? Did our parents or caretakers ever ask what was meaningful to us? Who and how we wanted to be as adults (and not what we wanted to do)? What experiences made us feel truly alive and joyful? What inspired us? And, did they do this on a regular basis? At each important transition throughout our development?
An important part of counselling, and something that I help clients with on a regular basis, is asking them to do this. Oftentimes, clients claim to have a good idea of who they are and what’s important to them (usually family, friends, health, etc.), but when asked to write this down in an intentional way, the outcome is quite interesting. Clients are often surprised when they realize they’ve been acting out of line with the way they want to be.
Identifying and aligning with what’s most important to us has significant effects when it comes to our mental health. The exercise is about getting to the root of who we are, unedited, rather than focusing on who we think we should be. It’s about tuning in with our emotions, and with the physical sensations in our body – not with our thinking mind (the part that focuses mostly on fear and risks). Doing so allows us to sense what’s really going on inside in response to our choices and actions. When we understand this, it’s easier to know which path to follow moving forward, and how to do so in a wise manner.
It can be difficult realizing that we’ve been acting in a way that’s out of alignment with who we truly are, but it’s also this realization that becomes the catalyst for the most important changes we will make in our lives.
In coming back to our values, and in viewing each day as a new opportunity to realign ourselves to them, it’s possible to start living the meaningful life that we want.