Top Ten Ways to Use Life Values
Improve your relationships. Get clarity, find happiness, fulfilment & so much more. Dive into our top 10 and help celebrate the new 2023 version of Life Values!
You will also love our new and free eBook ‘Life Values Mastery’.
One - Define Your Top 10 Personal Values
Creating your top 10 personal values is empowering. It’s also hard! The are so many values to choose from. There’s two main benefits…
One, at the end of the day you have a list of your top 10 values that shape who you are, what you stand for, and what direction you’re heading in.
And two, is the process of choosing your top 10 values. It’s a real challenge to whittle it down to 10. The process of doing so is insightful and liberating. Everyone’s ‘values discovery journey’ is different – but that’s where the ‘gold’ is found on your own personal level.
Bottom line: What’s the point, why do I need to know my top 10 values?
Know who you are – shape your identity, calibrate your life direction, cement your legacy.
A great place to start is by downloading your free Life Values Workbookand of course the new ‘Life Values Mastery’ ebook.
Two - Create Shared Life Values for Your Relationship
Know your values and then get to know your partners values. What top values do you share? What other values do you share? Why? Why are they important to you? What is your relationship all about?
Going one step further you can even look at each other’s values you don’t share. Celebrate the difference, have a conversation and understand why a particular value, or set of values is important to them. With a deeper understanding you might even be able to help each other fulfill their unique and most important values.
Bottom line: What’s the point, why do I need to know our shared relationship values?
Know your partner on a deeper level – who they are, and who you are together. What’s your relationship all about? – In what way are you going to help each other spring ‘tears of joy’?
Related Resource: Life Values for Relationships Video
Three - Ultimate Vision Board Clarity
Creating a vision board can be hard for a number of reasons. From no inspiration, to too many ideas and conflicting options. You can feel stuck, overwhelmed, or you’ve tried before and ‘everything fell apart’.
Creating a vision board – backed by Life Values give your vision ‘a spine’. Let your vision for the future take shape around your Life Values. This ensures your vision has meaning and purpose – and you have a ‘reason’ to achieve your vision. The alternative? Wandering aimlessly? Taking opportunities vs creating opportunities.
Check out this post where Lee shares his experience of using Life Values to empower our shared Vision Board.
Bottom line: What’s the point, why do I need a vision board with Life Values?
Cut to the chase and create an empowering vision board that is actually inspiring and achievable.
Four - Start Meaningful Conversations
Each Life Values card has a carefully created question on it to spark meaningful conversations or prompt inner-dialogue for self-development. In our experience, people are passionate about their values and their views. While there are 216 cards in each deck, our guess is you’ll only need a handful of Life Values cards to spark hours of discussion.
I remember a client tell me that, when they get out their Life Values cards around the kitchen table and start chatting, their kids stop playing video games and come and join-in the conversation. They want to be a part of the discussion. I wonder why… 😉
Bottom line: What’s the point, why do I need Live Values based conversations?
Connect on a deeper level with family, kids, and friends. Share meaningful stories and understand why people feel the way they do… Could an interesting conversation spark a new idea or collaboration?
Five - Solve Problems & Resolve Conflict
“I want this & you want that”. Use values to understand why each other want a particular outcome. With understanding – there will be opportunity for compromise – or even better win-win solutions. This is true for inner-conflict too. Exploring your values will help you resolve problems at the source – and avoid unreliable band-aid solutions, putting-things-off, and other avoidance or sabotaging behaviours.
Bottom line: What’s the point, why do I need Life Values to resolve my problems?
Because avoidance and half-baked measures fail and cause further pain & frustration. Living in alignment with your Life Values means less problems and less conflict to begin with. And when problems & conflict do arise – you have values to guide you through.
Six - Health, Wellness & Goal Achievement
It’s all about living in alignment with your top Life Values. As I say to my clients, focus on what you do want – not what you don’t want. Embrace your health and goal-oriented Life Values and embed them into your identity. Start believing and doing the things you ‘are’ on a daily basis. Achieve your goals, and make decisions with vivid clarity.
Bottom line: What’s the point, why do I need Life Values to resolve my problems?
Simplify your life and decision making process. Avoid procrastination and distraction. Live in alignment with your values on a daily basis. Achieve your health and wellness goals to empower your next big life challenge.
Related Resource – Visualization techniques and free guided meditation – success transformation
Seven - Stress Reducing Values During Stages of Change
This year Lee and I used 3 different sets of values to get us through 3 specific periods of change and turmoil, as we moved our home and business from Bendigo to McCrae.
Using sets of Life Values to reduce stress during specific stages helps you stay grounded, emotionally in control, and productive. You can gravitate toward a handful of Life Values in-the-moment to get through challenging times and rise to the occasion.
Bottom line: What’s the point, why do I need Life Values to reduce stress?
During prolonged periods of stress your ability to think clearly and operate effectively diminishes. Having a specific set of values to reduce stress and ‘stay the course’ is priceless.
Look out for a new upcoming resource on this strategy – in the meantime – having a ‘Chat & Chill’ Conversation & a Weekly Couples Catchup are a powerful duo.
Eight - Create Life Balance
The Life Values cards are divided into eight themed colours. Try choosing 5 Life Values from each of the colour categories to create Life Balance. Explore the relationship between the Life Values and how they influence or compliment each other.
What’s missing? What’s changed? What season of life are you in?
This is a great exercise to go through as you transition from one ‘season of life’ to the next. Make the change peacefully by understanding your evolving set of Life Values.
Bottom line: What’s the point, why do I need Life Balance?
Burned out? Busy parents? Changing careers? Empty-nester? Mid-life crisis? Unfulfilled? Explore Life Balance and uncover new possibilities with Life Values. Make a targeted change to achieve your chosen Life Balance related outcome.
Related Resource: Life Balance Wheel PDF
Nine - Integrity, Trust & Consistency
Life Values strengthen your character and improve the trust and connection with the people around you.
Sharing your values through consistent behaviour shapes how you are known. Do you follow through with what you say you’ll do? Living by a set of values helps people trust you and include you as a genuine reliable partner / friend / colleague etc.
Even if your values are around being spontaneous, fluid and flexible, – consistency builds integrity, reliability and trust. All traits we like in people we can rely on.
Bottom line: What’s the point, why do I need Life Values for Integrity…?
Without trust, you’re on the outer. Without integrity – people are wary. Commit to your Life Values and communicate who you are by ‘being’ who you say you are.
Related Resource: Connected Couples Series – You’re My Rock
Ten - Improve Communication & Strengthen Your Relationship
Now that you’re really getting into the swing of Life Values, see how they underpin deeper communication and weave through key relationship themes.
Browse the questions and prompts in this resource to ask deeper questions with your partner, and see how communication is essential to improve your relationship.
Taking the time to chat and be a bit vulnerable and explore uneasy feelings is the first step to trying something new, making a change and strengthening your relationship.
Bottom line: What’s the point, why do I need questions and communication for my relationship?
You risk growing apart, and growing stale if you’re not communicating and fulfilling each others needs. Asking great questions, listening & ‘participating’ in being the best person & partner you can be put’s you on track to having a fulfilling & happy relationship.
