Tuning in to your internal compass

One of the guiding principles I use in my life and with my yoga therapy clients is discovering and living into your personal core values. These core values act as a compass that keeps your life moving in the direction that will provide the opportunities for you to become the best version of yourself - the You who you are meant to be.

Your personal core values are the beliefs, ideas, and practices that guide how you show up and live your life. Without them you may feel like you’re going through life on autopilot, following someone else’s map.

Core values may be something like courage, honesty, personal responsibility or loyalty. There are countless lists you can find online to begin to discover your own. You may be aware of your core values or maybe you’ve never really stopped to explore them, either way you’re still being guided my them.

Whether you realize if or not, you’re living your life according to a set of values. If you’re not using your own personal values to guide how you live your life you will likely feel lost, disconnected, unsatisfied or even like your life is meaningless.

When you take the time to discover your personal core values and begin to live your life in alignment with these values, you will begin to feel a sense of meaning and satisfaction in life, like you’re on the right path and everything (good and bad) is ultimately happening for your greater good.

Decision-making
When you know the guiding principles of your life you will begin to trust yourself and the decisions you make in your life.

When you’re making decisions that align with who you inherently are and how you want to show up in your life, you’ll have clarity and certainty that you’re making the best choice you can. Living outside of your personal core values can lead to a sense of confusion, trouble trusting your feelings and trying to predict what decisions will upset the fewest people regardless of your own best interests.

Time and resources
Knowing your core values and allowing them to guide your decision-making will give you the space and permission to invest your time and energy into the things that matter most for you. If you’re not clear on your values, you’ll get pulled into other peoples priorities and have trouble setting boundaries on how to spend your one precious life.

When you’re clear on the ideas, beliefs and practices that guide your life, you will align your priorities with these values and prioritize the things that really matter.

Feeling like yourself
When you’re clear about your core values, and you’re living in alignment with them, you will be in integrity with who you really are. You will feel more like yourself and who you’re meant to be. You will feel more confident and find clarity when self-doubt and confusion creep in.

Long-term planning
Sometimes we can look back on years of our life and wonder, “Where am I and how did I get here??”

Whether we like it or not, every decision we make in our lives is leading us on the path to who we’re becoming. If we’re not clear on our core values, we’ll take steps down a path that may lead us far from the life we imagine for ourselves. Knowing our core values and making decisions that align with them will guide us to the path that will achieve the dreams and goals we have for ourselves.

The best version of yourself
We’re all created for a purpose. Each one of us is a completely perfect and whole creation with specific and individual contributions to make to the world. No one else has what you have and no one else can do what you do.

You are perfect as you are today AND you owe it to the world to step up and become the best version of you so that we can all benefit from that. This begins by defining your core values. These values will act as a compass and provide boundaries to keep you on track to becoming who you’re meant to be.

Are you ready to discover and start living into your core values? Brene’ Brown has a really great worksheet to get started. You can find it here.

Over and over again my personal core values have helped me to know with certainty which path I should take in my life. When I'm paying attention to them, they have keep me within the boundaries of who I want to be and how I want to show up in my life.

When I haven't paid attention to them, I've felt like I'm lost, stuck, like I'm drowning. The good news is that just checking in with them can change everything. Instantly. You'll know what's right for you. You'll feel certain, you'll feel peace. You can breathe.

I hope my experiences remind you that even when it feels like it, you're never alone. I'm right there with you, using and sharing all the resources I have to navigate through life as gracefully as possible. ❤️