The personal quest to define our values

Think about something you value. Hard work, a clean home & nice yard, well-behaved children.

Now dig a little deeper. Ask yourself what the origin of the value is?

Have you ever stopped to think about why you think working hard is noble, while the idle rich are not?

Is it because your father was a union man who defined himself by his ability to work hard?  Did your mother call your uncle who collected guns & cars to fix and sell a a slacker because he didn’t have a steady job?

Often, when we start delving into the reasons we value and believe something, we find that it isn’t really something we value or believe, but rather an inherited value.

Most of our values come from our environment. Whether that be family of origin, spouses, peers, community, or television news, most of what we value has come from external sources.

It is always a great exercise to track our ideas back to their origins to get insights about ourselves, as well as to take the opportunity to clear out residue which is no longer in alignment with who we are.