Question 1

What are values?

Accepted Answer

The term values has a wide variety of meanings and is used in various settings. In wellbeing and for our purposes we think of values as personal qualities that we aspire to and wish to cultivate. It is how we want to behave as people, how we wish to relate to others, to ourselves and the world around us.  These values aren’t plucked from thin air or bestowed upon us by others. We purposefully and with commitment choose these values as markers of how we wish to live our lives. They act as our compass point to guide how we wish to behave on a daily basis.  We may see these values modelled in others, we may see them in fictional characters or see them embodied in the ones around us. This isn’t about emulating one person completely but choosing the characteristics that most resonate with us.   Here's an example from Dr Bear: "Two values that I have found resonate most with me over the years are compassion and integrity. I will never complete either of these nor will I finish aspiring to embody these qualities. I may wander off course from these values and that’s ok. It doesn’t mean I have failed and in recognising that I am moving away from them I develop the opportunity to steer true again. This may and probably will happen many times over the years and indeed these values may be superseded by others at different times in my life. All of this is part of my own personal development."  There are hundreds of values, many of which we may feel drawn to, but it would be unrealistic to chart our progress and monitor our daily behaviour with so many. We may identify a handful of values that most represent how we wish to live and be remembered and these should be the focus of our efforts.

Question 2

Value-based goal setting

Accepted Answer

So how do we know if we’re on track with our values if we never end up finishing them? Whilst the value acts as the compass point, the goals aligned to these values form way markers that help us stay on track. These can form smaller daily habit based goals, medium term or even longer term goals.   Using the value I mentioned earlier of compassion as an example of goals, then a daily goal that forms part of a habit may be to display compassion to each of the clients I see in my role as a psychologist. There may be very specific markers that would form a demonstration of compassion that may be very different for different people. Once developed using the SMART method of setting goals these can form part of my intentional daily expression and acting towards this particular value. In reflecting on these and other moments aligned to this and other values I can develop a contentment and satisfaction that I am living true to myself and how I wish to engage with others.
 If I were to consistently struggle to achieve these or other goals that I establish this provides me with an opportunity to review them, to assess whether they fit with the particular value I am aspiring towards and to try to break down any barriers that prevent me from achieving this. By not completing these goals we aren’t failing them, we simply have to refine them to make them more achievable or dedicate more energy/effort/resource to their completion if the particular value remains important to us.   Keeping track of these values and goals can be difficult, which is why we have developed our bespoke software to help maximise the potential for students to achieve and live rich and fulfilling lives that are determined by them and evolve with their own development.

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