There are tons of books out there teaching you how to understand your own values. However, do you know that knowing your values actually can improve your productivity?
Here's why:
Values are the rules, the standards, the factors that directly affect your decision-making process. They unconsciously guide your everyday life.
While we might have a sense of what we deem as important, most of us don't have an absolute clarity behind why we do so.
But once we empower ourselves by actively choosing what we value the most, we can automatically set up a congruent life that fulfills what's important to us, and we can avoid all the unnecessary internal and external conflicts.
Bear in mind that there are means values and end values.
When we ask ourselves "What do I want", our default answers are normally things like money, status, power, fame, family, freedom etc.
But these things are all means to an end.
What we really want deep down is the feeling of love from our family or friends, the feeling of financial security so we don't have to worry about our next meal, the feeling of choice to do whatever we want whenever we want. It's more about the emotions you're trying to experience.
So when we try to figure out our values, we should go deeply to see what the end values are and what the emotional experience we're trying to acquire.
Also, there are moving-towards values and moving-away-from values.
Moving-towards values are the pleasurable emotional states we're trying to move towards to.
They may be love, success, honesty, freedom, adventure, passion, intimacy, health, comfort etc.
It's interesting that we all have our own preference as to what we value more. So when you list out the hierarchy of how you prioritize these moving-towards values, you will know how you make decisions in every moment.
On the other hand, moving-away-from values are emotions we're trying to move away and avoid.
These are things like loneliness, anger, rejection, guilt, envy, failure, guilt, frustration etc.
Studies have shown that we have 2 times more motivation to avoid pain than to seek pleasure, so understanding your moving-away-from values can be powerful. (This happens because it's our biological nature to remove any potential dangers and keep us alive.)
When you can find out both of your moving-towards values and moving-away-from values, you will have a clear picture as to why you make certain decisions.
Then all you need to do to become extremely productive is to align these values with how you live your life. Once you've done that, you will eliminate the energy wasted in fighting against internal and external conflicts and you can finally live a harmonious life that suits you.
So do you know your values? Let us know in the comments below!
So do you know your values? Let us know in the comments below!
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