True Values Versus Conditioned Values
When you do the deep work to identify your values, you no longer operate from other people’s values or conditioned beliefs. You operate from your truest self.
When you know your personal values, it helps you:
Make confident decisions
Identify priorities
Spend time doing what energizes you and brings joy and eliminate what doesn’t
Knowing your values brings personal freedom. It allows you to spend time doing more of what you are uniquely designed to do.
The deep work happens with unraveling your true values from conditioned values. Conditioned values are when you operate from other people’s values and what you have been told should matter to you. You are operating from conditioned values when something feels off and you feel stuck. Feelings of frustration, bitterness, or anger permeate in small or big ways.
To determine your true values versus your conditioned values, write down your answers to these questions:
What matters most to me?
Then dig a little deeper:
Why do I care about this?
Where did I learn to care about this?
This will reveal whether your values are rooted in other people and our culture versus what truly matters to you. You know you are operating from your true values when you feel a general sense of personal satisfaction, peace, and success. Life feels aligned. It flows.
Other questions to ask yourself:
What do I enjoy most?
What do I lose track of time doing or thinking about?
Spending time with these questions will begin to reveal your true values and the behaviors that will help you operate from your very best self.