By TOM MUHA, For The Capital
If your life were to turn out to be terrific, what would that look like?
When positive psychologists study people who are successful and satisfied with their life, they discover that those who are authentically happy have taken the time to determine a destination and a course of action that has led a valuable life.
The researchers found that people who are the happiest in their surveys develop a clear vision of a great life by focusing on their values. By determining what's most important to them, they're able to picture how they want their values to play out in their life.
People who are languishing in their life, on the other hand, are like a boat drifting on the water with a broken rudder. The direction of their life is determined by external forces, so they end up going wherever the wind blows them. They have no idea of where to find a secure harbor. Nor do they have a rudder with which to steer themselves away from trouble. They frequently find themselves carried by the currents to some place they don't want to be.
Have you ever taken the time to determine your top priorities? The hard part of creating a values-based vision is sorting out the many elements of life that are important. Here's an exercise that will help you define who you are, what's most meaningful to you and what gives you passion and purpose. To clarify what's most significant to you, look over the following list and write down the 10 virtues you feel are the most valuable:
Acceptance, adventure, appreciation, authenticity, career, caring, charity, cheerfulness, cleanliness, courage, creativity, curiosity, dependability, empathy, family, fairness, faithfulness, fitness, forgiveness, freedom, friendship, gratitude, happiness, health, helping, honesty, hope, humility, humor, influence, integrity, innovation, intelligence, justice, kindness, leadership, learning, love, loyalty, mentoring, nurturing, optimism, patience, perseverance, perspective, pleasure, prudence, recognition, security, self-control, self-esteem, simplicity, stewardship, spirituality, success, thriftiness, trustworthiness, truthfulness, volunteering, wealth, wisdom and zest.
Feel free to add any additional values to your list that were not included above. After you've written down your list of the 10 principles and character traits that are most important to you, rank the top five that represent your highest priorities in life.
Establishing your priorities will help you live your values. It will give your life purpose because you'll be making the world a better place. To envision the positive outcomes of a lifetime of putting your principles into action, imagine that you've reached your 80s. You've been able to live a life that has brought you great satisfaction in all five dimensions that you decided were important to you.Complete the following statement for each of your top five priorities: "I've always valued ____. I know that I made a meaningful difference because …." For example, "I've always valued helping people. I know that I made a meaningful difference because I see people that I've helped living happier lives."
Have you taken the time to complete the five statements? If not, you're missing out on a valuable opportunity. You'll get busy and you'll start paying attention to what's immediate rather than what's important. You'll slip back into drifting through life instead of directing your life. Make a choice right now to take the time to determine what will make you a happier person.
After writing down how your life will end up if you successfully fulfill your most important values, come back to the present and figure out the first step to take in order to propel yourself toward that vision. Complete five more sentences: "To live my value of ________, the step I'm going to take today is ______." That would sound something like this: "To live my value of helping people, the step I'm going to take today is to volunteer to tutor young people who are struggling in school."
These last five statements must stir your passion. If you don't feel energized to actually do what you've written down, rethink what you're willing to commit to doing today. Living your values isn't always easy, so you'll need to be passionate about taking action in order to pursue the positive outcomes you desire. Find a small step to take for which you have enthusiasm.
To actually accomplish your daily goals, you'll need to have enough energy to push through your feeling tired, scared, bored or stressed. When you avidly dedicate yourself to making your dreams a reality, you will be taking charge of your destiny.
If your life were to turn out to be terrific, what would that look like?
When positive psychologists study people who are successful and satisfied with their life, they discover that those who are authentically happy have taken the time to determine a destination and a course of action that has led a valuable life.
The researchers found that people who are the happiest in their surveys develop a clear vision of a great life by focusing on their values. By determining what's most important to them, they're able to picture how they want their values to play out in their life.
People who are languishing in their life, on the other hand, are like a boat drifting on the water with a broken rudder. The direction of their life is determined by external forces, so they end up going wherever the wind blows them. They have no idea of where to find a secure harbor. Nor do they have a rudder with which to steer themselves away from trouble. They frequently find themselves carried by the currents to some place they don't want to be.
Have you ever taken the time to determine your top priorities? The hard part of creating a values-based vision is sorting out the many elements of life that are important. Here's an exercise that will help you define who you are, what's most meaningful to you and what gives you passion and purpose. To clarify what's most significant to you, look over the following list and write down the 10 virtues you feel are the most valuable:
Acceptance, adventure, appreciation, authenticity, career, caring, charity, cheerfulness, cleanliness, courage, creativity, curiosity, dependability, empathy, family, fairness, faithfulness, fitness, forgiveness, freedom, friendship, gratitude, happiness, health, helping, honesty, hope, humility, humor, influence, integrity, innovation, intelligence, justice, kindness, leadership, learning, love, loyalty, mentoring, nurturing, optimism, patience, perseverance, perspective, pleasure, prudence, recognition, security, self-control, self-esteem, simplicity, stewardship, spirituality, success, thriftiness, trustworthiness, truthfulness, volunteering, wealth, wisdom and zest.
Feel free to add any additional values to your list that were not included above. After you've written down your list of the 10 principles and character traits that are most important to you, rank the top five that represent your highest priorities in life.
Establishing your priorities will help you live your values. It will give your life purpose because you'll be making the world a better place. To envision the positive outcomes of a lifetime of putting your principles into action, imagine that you've reached your 80s. You've been able to live a life that has brought you great satisfaction in all five dimensions that you decided were important to you.Complete the following statement for each of your top five priorities: "I've always valued ____. I know that I made a meaningful difference because …." For example, "I've always valued helping people. I know that I made a meaningful difference because I see people that I've helped living happier lives."
Have you taken the time to complete the five statements? If not, you're missing out on a valuable opportunity. You'll get busy and you'll start paying attention to what's immediate rather than what's important. You'll slip back into drifting through life instead of directing your life. Make a choice right now to take the time to determine what will make you a happier person.
After writing down how your life will end up if you successfully fulfill your most important values, come back to the present and figure out the first step to take in order to propel yourself toward that vision. Complete five more sentences: "To live my value of ________, the step I'm going to take today is ______." That would sound something like this: "To live my value of helping people, the step I'm going to take today is to volunteer to tutor young people who are struggling in school."
These last five statements must stir your passion. If you don't feel energized to actually do what you've written down, rethink what you're willing to commit to doing today. Living your values isn't always easy, so you'll need to be passionate about taking action in order to pursue the positive outcomes you desire. Find a small step to take for which you have enthusiasm.
To actually accomplish your daily goals, you'll need to have enough energy to push through your feeling tired, scared, bored or stressed. When you avidly dedicate yourself to making your dreams a reality, you will be taking charge of your destiny.
See Related Articles on Happiness:
Happiness Is A Vital Key To Optimum Health
20 Simple Ways To Get Happy
The Five Secret Ways To Happiness
Spirituality Accounts For Children's Happiness
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