VALUE EXERCISES
Values can be slippery. I can list them logically, convincing myself I have things figured out. It’s only after paying close attention to my actions that I can see where my values and actions misalign. What good is a value if it doesn’t influence my actions?
Being able to play with a list of values and visually move them around, sit with them individually and wrestle with them has proven to be valuable. Not because I end up with a right answer but because the process provides a glimpse at my reality. Revealing there is more fluidity and nuance than concrete stability.
Here is a list of values I work from. Feel free to add the ones that make sense to you.
Being able to play with a list of values and visually move them around, sit with them individually and wrestle with them has proven to be valuable. Not because I end up with a right answer but because the process provides a glimpse at my reality. Revealing there is more fluidity and nuance than concrete stability.
Here is a list of values I work from. Feel free to add the ones that make sense to you.
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Self-Direction: characterized by self reliance and independent thought.
Stimulation: variety, adventure, and risk-taking. Hedonism: gratification and comfort. Achievement: personal success and competence Power: social status and prestige Security: safety and harmony is society and relationships Conformity: compliance and self-restraint; placing the groups needs above the individual Tradition: adherence to customs handed down by family, culture, and/or religion Benevolence: loyalty and kindness to friends and family Universalism: providing equal treatment for different people and groups. |
These are followed by a group of exercises to run with the list.
Please keep in mind that these exercises only carry the meaning you give them. They are not omnipotent and shouldn’t be treated as such. It is just an exercise. Learn from it, and perhaps more importantly, have fun.
Please keep in mind that these exercises only carry the meaning you give them. They are not omnipotent and shouldn’t be treated as such. It is just an exercise. Learn from it, and perhaps more importantly, have fun.
EXERCISES
1. Go through the red value cards. Set aside your top 20 values.
- From this list of 20 values narrow it down to 10.
- From the 10 narrow it down to 5.
- From the 5 narrow it down to 2.
- These two are your priority values.
2. Go through the red value cards create 4 piles of 5 values.
- Pile 1 is of your personal values
- Pile 2 is your professional values
- Pile 3 is your familial values
- Pile 4 is your community values
3. Go through the blue value cards. Place them in order of importance.
- Have your spouse do the same. Compare notes.
4. Go through the red value cards.
Some origins to think of:
The point of this exercise is to see if your values are still being borrowed or if they can be fully owned.
- Categorize them by their origin: where you adopted them. Are they a part of you?
Some origins to think of:
- Traditions
- Parents
- Culture
- Society
- Neighborhood
- Friends
- Religion
- School
- Nation
The point of this exercise is to see if your values are still being borrowed or if they can be fully owned.
5. After you’ve whittled down your value cards to the top two define them:
- What do they entail?
- What do they mean to you?
- How would you describe them?
- What do they look like?
- What exemplifies them?
- Who are real world examples of these values?
- What actions are associated with them?
- How would you enact them?
- What does the practice of these values look like?
- What role do they play for you?