Planting the seed of
focus in your life involves becoming clear about what your values are.
What matters to you? What do you hold in high regard? What do you respect
and require in your life? What can’t you live without (or with)?
Your core values are the
things you rate most crucial in your life. They’re what influence the
choices you make, the way you behave, the kinds of people you choose to
interact with, and the way you spend your time. So would you say that
beauty, freedom, love, abundance, or productivity are most important to
you? Or do you prefer to have fun or pay attention to detail? However you
respond, note that your
Life
Garden
should always reflect the essence of your core values, so cultivating
relationships with whatever you hold dear is at the bedrock of a healthy
Garden. Exploring your values is also a good way to tap into the essence
of who you are right now.
What
follows are a number of core values. Please look at each word or phrase in
the list and consider it carefully. If you feel that it describes what you
value most in life, write it down in your journal or notebook. Be sure to
only choose the words that you value; that
is, those which are really important in all aspects of your life. Remember
that we all embody many of these words, so be a bit discriminating and
don’t write down every single one. You may also add any of your own if
you don’t see them listed below.
|
Values List
|
|
Abundance
|
Delightfulness
|
Honesty
|
Optimism
|
Serenity
|
|
Acceptance
|
Dependability
|
Honor
|
Organization
|
Service
|
|
Achievement
|
Devotion
|
Humanity
|
Passion
|
Sexuality
|
|
Activity
|
Dignity
|
Humor
|
Patience
|
Sincerity
|
|
Adventure
|
Discernment
|
Imagination
|
Peacefulness
|
Solitude
|
|
Affection
|
Discipline
|
Impact
|
Perfection
|
Space
|
|
Amusement
|
Drama
|
Importance
|
Order
|
Spirituality
|
|
Artistic
ability
|
Dreaming
|
Improvement
|
Organic
|
Sports
|
|
Aspiration
|
Duty
|
Independence
|
Playfulness
|
Stability
|
|
Attentiveness
|
Education
|
Individuality
|
Pleasure
|
Status
|
|
Attractiveness
|
Efficiency
|
Influence
|
Politeness
|
Stimulation
|
|
Authority
|
Elegance
|
Information
|
Popularity
|
Strength
|
|
Autonomy
|
Encouragement
|
Ingenuity
|
Possessions
|
Structure
|
|
Awareness
|
Energization
|
Initiative
|
Possibilities
|
Success
|
|
Balance
|
Energy
|
Innovation
|
Power
|
Support
|
|
Beauty
|
Enjoyment
|
Inquisitiveness
|
Predictability
|
Sustainability
|
|
Belonging
|
Enlightenment
|
Inspiration
|
Preparation
|
Talent
|
|
Bliss
|
Enterprise
|
Intelligence
|
Presence
|
Taste
|
|
Bravery
|
Entertainment
|
Integration
|
Professionalism
|
Teaching
|
|
Building
|
Excellence
|
Integrity
|
Providing
|
Tenacity
|
|
Capability
|
Exhilaration
|
Interconnectivity
|
Punctuality
|
Tenderness
|
|
Change
|
Facilitation
|
Inventiveness
|
Quality
|
Thoughtfulness
|
|
Clarity
|
Fame
|
Joy
|
Questioning
|
Tolerance
|
|
Coaching
|
Family
|
Justice
|
Radiance
|
Tradition
|
|
Collaboration
|
Financial
security
|
Knowledge
|
Realization
|
Training
|
|
Comfort
|
Forthrightness
|
Laughter
|
Reason
|
Tranquility
|
|
Commitment
|
Freedom
|
Leadership
|
Recognition
|
Transformation
|
|
Community
|
Friendship
|
Learning
|
Refinement
|
Travel
|
|
Compassion
|
Fulfillment
|
Logic
|
Relating to
God
|
Triumph
|
|
Competence
|
Fun
|
Love
|
Relaxation
|
Trustworthiness
|
|
Competition
|
Generosity
|
Loyalty
|
Reliability
|
Truthfulness
|
|
Completeness
|
Giving
|
Magnificence
|
Religiousness
|
Understanding
|
|
Connection
|
Glamour
|
Mastery
|
Respectfulness
|
Uniqueness
|
|
Contentment
|
Government
|
Meditation
|
Responsibility
|
Unity
|
|
Contribution
|
Grace
|
Ministry
|
Risk
|
Uplifting
|
|
Control
|
Gratitude
|
Moving
forward
|
Romance
|
Variety
|
|
Cooperation
|
Growth
|
Mystery
|
Routine
|
Vitality
|
|
Courage
|
Happiness
|
Nature
|
Satisfaction
|
Vulnerability
|
|
Creativity
|
Hard work
|
Nourishment
|
Searching
|
Wealth
|
|
Danger
|
Harmony
|
Nurturing
|
Security
|
Winning
|
|
Decisiveness
|
Health
|
Observation
|
Sensitivity
|
Wisdom
|
|
Dedication
|
Helpfulness
|
Open-mindedness
|
Sensuality
|
Wonder
|
Now, go through all the
words you wrote down and select ten that are critical to have in your
life. Write those ten words on a new page in your journal.
Next, you’re really
going to tap into your inner self and find out what matters most to you.
From the previous list, select the three to five words that are absolutely
essential to have in your life—these represent the essence of who you
are. That is, if you had to pick three or four words to describe what you
value most in life, what would they be? Write those words on a new page in
your journal.
You can use your words
to start the creation of your
Life
Garden
. There are no good or bad, right or wrong, or should-have words. These
are merely tools to help you discover what you personally value—and
since your Garden is uniquely yours, it doesn’t have to look like anyone
else’s or what your mother, husband, or boss thinks it should look like.
When I did this
exercise, I discovered that my top four values are:
connection, freedom, creativity, and
joy. These four words describe my essence. For example, I know that
connection—with self, a higher power, and other people—is so essential
to me that it’s how I’m guided in my life. I also know that freedom is
one of my highest values because I want to live life on my terms; I’m
much happier when I don’t have the confines of a job, structure, or
rules telling me what to do. Creativity is another important value for me
because I’m at my best when I’m creating, organizing, and improving
all of the possibilities in life. I am an idea person and need to express
these ideas through any type of creation. Creating is easy and fun for me.
And finally, I want to be able to let my light shine for the whole world
to see. I want to experience joy in all that I do—beautiful things,
positive people, and uplifting situations in the world. When I share my
four words, people automatically confirm that I’ve picked out the right
ones for my personality. These words create my personal culture, and
everything I do in life focuses on them.
Once you’ve identified
your own core values, it becomes much easier to begin to cultivate those
values in your
Life
Garden
. If you value beauty, then perhaps you’ll plant lots of roses. If you
value service, then you may start a community garden that services a local
food bank. Or, like me, you may discover that you want to grow a
family—and wind up riding a camel in
India
. We all have our own ways of expressing values. We can use our unique
gifts and roles in the world to create our own Gardens. When we recognize
that each person truly is an individual expression, then we have the
freedom to construct our own lives based on what brings us joy.
As you start to
cultivate your Garden based on your values, you may focus on a specific
skill, growth area, or aspect of yourself and find that your life—and
everything in it—begins to change and evolve. This could include the
people you associate with, the things you care about, the music or
television programs you like, the clothes you wear, how you spend your
time and resources, or even how much money you make. All this change has
residual effects. Your friends may not like what’s happening and stop
inviting you to parties; your spouse may not like your new body; you might
not be able to afford the vacations that your family is planning this
summer—or you can now afford
things that your neighbors can’t.
If you’re true to your
values and know that what you’re doing is right for your life, you’ll
be able to handle these changes. As you get to know yourself better,
you’ll become more firmly rooted in who you really are and what you want
from life. And you’ll be able to manage these changes as well. You
don’t have to stay at the same job, keep the same friends, or continue
to do the same activities throughout your life; it’s natural for these
things to change as you do. It’s a part of the learning process.
The above
excerpt is taken from the book Seeds
of Freedom: Cultivating a Life
That Matters by Heather Marie Wilson.
It is published by Hay House (September 2011) and is available at all
bookstores or online at: www.hayhouse.com.
__________________
Heather Marie
Wilson, a 20year strategy and marketing professional, had an exciting career as the Director of Multichannel Marketing and Director of Credit Marketing for The Home Depot, where she was responsible for more than $17 billion in sales. She decided to leave the corporate world for a more balanced life that gave her the freedom she desired, and started her own successful consulting firm.
Wilson is now focused on advising and training corporations, businesses, and individuals on how to bring awareness to their personal and professional lives. Her goal is to bring humanity back into business; so she demonstrates the importance of caring for other people and the planet, as well as unleashing the possibilities of life within and without a corporate setting. She wants to help people transform their lives and vocation by giving them the tools, permission, and courage they need to live a life that matters. Her method involves planting the nine Seeds of Freedom that she discovered in her own Life Garden.
Wilson has a B.S. from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and an MBA from Goizueta Business School at Emory University. She is based in Atlanta, Georgia; and Hilton Head Island, South Carolina—however, she is currently living a life of freedom and possibility. She’s traveling in an RV with her two dogs and her parents, helping people across North America discover their own freedom. And she plants gardens wherever she goes!
