It’s widely accepted that to enjoy a great life that’s lived with integrity and feels fulfilling, our actions must align with our values. When we’re living in line with our innate core values, this is when we can be said to be being completely true to ourselves.

The great Dr John Demartini states that our values arise from our conscious or unconscious voids – that is, the thing (or things) which we perceive as most lacking in our life.

The void that’s left by the things that we feel are missing from our life becomes the thing that we perceive as most important. In this way, it is signalled as our highest value.

What is your highest value?

Let’s take 60-seconds to reflect. Close your eyes and think about what you feel is missing from your life and what, by definition, is most important to you?

Did you find it hard to choose just one thing? If you thought of a few, then make a list and assign each item a number starting with 1 (most important), then number 2 (next-most important) and so on. That exercise could help bring into focus the thing or things that correspond to your highest values.

Here’s another quick exercise to help you understand your highest values and what matters most to you.

Grab a pen and some paper and put in some time and thought to complete the 4 simple statements that follow.

Admiration

I admire

Name

Because they

Inspiration

I get really inspired when I

Describe what it   is you are doing

Because I feel

Describe what is   happening

Stimulation

I feel most alive when I

Describe what it   is you are doing

Because I feel

Association

I feel most like myself when I am   with

Name

Because they make me feel

Once you have done this exercise, ask yourself – does your life align with the values that you’ve identified as being most important to you? Do your answers to these questions suggest that your life feels fulfilled and accomplished and is spent doing the things that inspire you with people you admire? Or are you spending the majority of your time suffering through things and feeling little in the way of joy and fulfilment?