Living a life according to your values is rich and satisfying. It is a life based on personal power, choice and balance. Choosing a fulfilling life is in fact a radical act.  More often, though, people have only a general sense of what it takes to create a fulfilling life. Can you see the big picture of your life? Do you get confused about what you truly want, or do you struggle trying to achieve it?

As a personal coach, I help people define their values. My clients get as clear as crystal and list out their values. Then, naturally, they begin to make choices that lead to fulfillment in every area of life. Let’s look at how a coach might help you create this important list and stick to it.

Identify Your Personal Values

Your values are, simply put, what matters most to you. The first step in living a life of fulfillment is to clarify what is supremely important to you. Identifying your values can be fun and easy. They show up everywhere in your life. If you keep an eye peeled, you can see them in your day-to-day experience. Sometimes you can see them when you're feeling great, when your values are being honored. Picture a person who values beauty and then becomes an artist. Other times, your values get stepped on. Imagine someone who honors honesty but gives in to telling a lie in a moment of pressure. At times like these, you feel awful, but this is also when you can recognize your values clearly.

Once you get in touch with what's most important to you, it is essential that you clarify your values by articulating them. For example, you feel a sense of elation remembering the last time you went water skiing. You’re getting a bead on a value and it feels like “freedom.” Or, you may feel a sense of happiness as you choose to rearrange your plans at the last minute and head out of town for the weekend. You’re exited by the sense of freedom to choose. Then, you can get even more distinct by looking to see what kind of freedom matters to you. Is it freedom/risk taking/adventure or is it freedom/independence/choice? Your values remain relatively constant, and so you just keep looking and they will see them everywhere.

Choose to Live Your Personal Values

Once you have clearly articulated what matters most to you, it becomes a matter of choice to live your life in accord with your values. Values are intangible, and so they are not what we do or something we own. Money is not a value, for example, but how you use your money could bring about fun, charity, or peace of mind. Travel is not a value either, but it has been proven to honor values such as adventure, learning, and nature/spirituality.

Imagine the shift of living a life in pursuit of your values instead of the things that have been the object of your pursuits until now. By choosing intentionally to live your life based on your values, you are able to live a life of purpose. You may continue to accumulate the tangible stuff, and you may continue to do a variety of things. What you own and what you do, however, will reside within the richer context of your values. This context is what brings you supreme personal satisfaction.
 
Keep Your Values Alive

When honoring your values regularly and consistently, you could say that you have the formula for living a happy life. But strangely, we do not always honor our values. Sometimes we settle. We compromise or lower our expectations of life. Sometimes we make choices based on what others want, or we take the path of least discomfort. Sometimes our own negative thinking gets in the way.

Living a life of purpose, based on one's values, is rare indeed. It has its own particular challenges. You need to put structures in place to remind you what's important, to stay accountable to yourself, and to continue to deepen and sharpen your awareness and understanding of your values. Try keeping a list of your values with you at all times. Put them in a place where you will see them often. When you have a big decision to make, check the various options against your list of values and see which one wins out.

Enjoy the Journey

Your life's journey may not always be easy, but you must let go of any attachment to results. The good news is found in the promises of a living a value-based life. You will achieve great satisfaction in your accomplishments. You will have an internal compass to guide you. You will have an experience of being fully alive with full expression of who you are. This is true fulfillment.

Living your life according to your values is a process, and you will continue to learn more as you continue to empower yourself.  Start your journey today with the support of a professional coach who is dedicated to your excellence.