Friday, April 25, 2008

Living According to Your Values, Valuing Your Life Accordingly

by Marc De Bruin

"Personal leadership is the process of keeping your vision and values before you and aligning your life to be congruent with them -Stephen Covey.
Have you seen the movie "the Secret"? Many people rave about it, and partly for very good reasons., look at current results you have created in your life or business, both positive and negative. Realise in all honesty that you have created these results by your values hierarchy. And if you think some of the results were outside your sphere of influence, then realise in all honesty that you have created the response to these results through your values hierarchy!: have a close look at how you would like your results to be. If some of your current achievements aren't the way you want them, ask yourself: what DO I want?: what values would you need to have in that specific area to start creating the results you desire? More business nous? More family time? Looking after your health a bit more? Improving communication skills? Find the values and put them into a hierarchy.: start living according to your new values more than you do to your old ones. What will you do differently? What actions are more in line with your new hierarchy?
It's a great movie if you want to get some insights into how our brains actually operate on a -let's call it- creation level. It is sometimes said that "it's all in our minds", and I believe that to be true. Reality = Perception of Reality, and perception makes reality subjective, makes it our creation. The Secret teaches us that we, within our own perceived reality, are able to create whatever it is we want, as long as we put attention, energy and focus on our desires.
The speakers in the Secret are right. Over the years, I have been teaching my clients similar fool- and fail-proof techniques on how to do it: create a life and/or a business which is their conscious choice. The techniques are easy and simple, just as life is easy and simple (trust me: the more you work with this "stuff", the more you realise that life really is easy and simple. It's us that make it seem complicated...)
The Secret forgets to mention one thing, though: the fact that you are already perfectly and exactly creating the life and business you want. Right now!
But hang on a minute, you may say: there things that are absolutely not working in my life at the moment! How come you say I am creating "perfectly"? There's nothing perfect about it!

Well, here is a statement for you to chew on: as far as value system is concerned, you ARE leading a life and/or running a business in perfect creation. You may not like all the results, though.
Confused already? Alright, here's a brief explanation.
We live our lives by our values. Our values are the things that are most important to us in our lives, certain experiences we choose over others. To give you an example: if you really value your family life, you may choose family over career. Or if you value health more than you do finances, you may spend more money on health related items than you will on saving for later.
Makes sense, doesn't it?
Realise that no value system is better than another. They are just different.
Once I know what a person's values are, I can virtually predict what that person is going to do in any given situation: s/he will decide according the hierarchy in his/her value system. Unless a very conscious decision is made to do things differently this time.
For example, again: if a person with business values in his top 5 has to choose between spending $500 on advertising or on buying new curtains or carpet for in his house, the choice is relatively easy! So too for his wife (who doesn't have business high in her values list!
In relation to our value system, we are perfect creators. If we value our comfort zone more than we do getting OUT of it, we will do just that: stay in our comfort zone! Nothing wrong with that, but the results may not always be the ones we want!
There is a simple solution -and The Secret does not talk about that! Change your values hierarchy, and start living accordingly. Again, we often do that without thinking about it! A person with drinking, eating and partying high in the values hierarchy will promptly change his life when he is confronted with a severe, drinking related illness! And when we seriously had enough of some aspects in our life, we can suddenly change everything around to reflect a new values hierarchy.
There is a science to changing your values, and that science is absolutely teachable and learnable. Heck, it was the same science that assisted me to let go of my life as a lawyer, and start all over as a coach in a different country!
Your personality type plays a big part in assessing your current values and changing them, if that is what you desire. Dreamtime Personalities is a great tool to use in that respect! If you would like to make a start, look at this Landmarc.
Set a Landmarc:
Firstly, look at current results you have created in your life or business, both positive and negative. Realise in all honesty that you have created these results by your values hierarchy. And if you think some of the results were outside your sphere of influence, then realise in all honesty that you have created the response to these results through your values hierarchy!
Secondly, have a close look at how you would like your results to be. If some of your current achievements aren't the way you want them, ask yourself: what DO I want?
Thirdly, what values would you need to have in that specific area to start creating the results you desire? More business nous? More family time? Looking after your health a bit more?Improving communication skills? Find the values and put them into a hierarchy.
Lastly, start living according to your new values more than you do to your old ones. What will you do differently? What actions are more in line with your new hierarchy?
You may say: it sounds easier than it is! But I assure you: it is as easy as it sounds, perhaps even easier! It's the putting it into practice that may be the challenge, but that is also something I can help you with!
Start living according to your values. You will be valued accordingly!

Marc is a certified life/business coach, master NLP Practitioner and Body Stress Release Practitioner on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia.
He is among Australia's Law of Attraction (LOA) experts, and coaches/mentors internationally with the LOA principles. Marc inspires his clients to find out what has been hindering them all along in achieving what they want, and to then make the conscious choice to take their lives and/or careers to the next level.
Having been a lawyer for nearly 6 years in his "previous life", before immigrating to Australia from The Netherlands, Marc knows exactly how daunting taking the first step in a new direction can be. On the other hand, he also knows how fulfilling taking that step is, and has the knack of imparting his knowledge and wisdom in a stunningly simple and highly effective way.
Visit http://www.landmarc.info, or email him at marc@landmarc.info to arrange a complimentary face-to-face or phone mentoring session!

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