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Determine What You Value Most to Take Charge of Your Future

Author(s):

Stephen Schoonover
Stephen Schoonover is a co-author of Your Soul at Work and president of Schoonover Associates, LLC in Keswick, Virginia.

October 2012, Inside Supply Management^® Vol. 23, No. 8, page 36

Personal Connections: Work. Life. Balance.
Having a life plan can help you keep on course to achieve your personal and professional goals, but it requires honest self-examination.

Taking charge of your life and career is one of the most important activities you face. Unfortunately, most people are swayed throughout their lifetimes by the immediate pressures of employment, self-imposed beliefs and myths, and the opinions of others. As we try to live up to everyone else's expectations and fulfill an ever-growing number of responsibilities, over time, our own passions and personal expectations can slip into the background. When this happens, it's time to revisit your life plan to get back on track.

Optimizing your life plan requires you to take a step back. Think seriously about what motivates you deeply. Then, apply a set of steps to create a roadmap that will help you lead the life you want to live.

Pinpoint Your Preferred Values

Our society has many phrases illustrating how it feels when we lose touch with our own personal values. We say things like we're "stuck in a rut" or we "feel lost," but what's behind those feelings? Identify and filter out what others (society, the media, peers, supervisors or your organization) are directly or indirectly telling you to value. It's helpful to do this in writing, so you can clearly examine each outside message and figure out how it conflicts with your own needs, preferences and aspirations. Try to complete this task as honestly as possible, without judging or editing your thoughts and feelings.

Writing a list of your personal life values can seem daunting. The graphic below can serve as a starting point, but change or add new values that better fit you personally.

Prioritize the critical few values you most want to embrace. This is important because there will inevitably be some values that will be harder to achieve, or will take more time. In this process, you may even realize some of the values you wrote down actually compete with others, allowing you to evaluate any trade-offs. For example, one of your life values may be living in your dream location, while another life value is achieving security — which may require accepting a job that's located elsewhere. Which of these values is your priority?

After determining your value priorities, determine how you can exercise them day-to-day in your personal life, work and vocational activities. For example, a healthy lifestyle can include taking the stairs at work and standing — even exercising — while you complete work tasks. A goal to develop expertise can include talking to role models at work or selecting a developmental activity, such as a benchmarking project that can enhance your capabilities and work performance simultaneously.

A Lifelong Process

Unfortunately, life and career plans are moving targets, changing with inevitable new circumstances — crises, illness, new opportunities, loss and even the natural aging process. Those who are most successful at taking charge of their careers revisit their values regularly, usually every year or two.

Being true to your values is an ongoing effort. It requires vigilance for inevitable derailment factors and updates to your plans as new challenges emerge. Ultimately, self-satisfaction stems from a life well-lived, not a destination reached. The habit of reaffirming your values creates the foundation for successful life planning.

For more information, send an e-mail to author@ism.ws.

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