Sixteenth Exercise: Identify Your Values and Goals

This exercise is part of the route to Accumulating Positive Emotions in the Long Term.

Part 1 – identify some of your values

Part 2 – make some “specific goals based on these values”

Possible outcome: “This will allow you to take steps more mindfully toward living life in a way that feels personally meaningful, valuable, and fulfilling.”

A note here on definitions – “values are guiding principles rather than specific goals” – so thinking it’s important to be around animals is a value, whereas saving up for a pedigree pot-bellied pig to have as a pet is a goal.

I had to think a bit here as my values are all over the place, and I tend to interrogate them fairly regularly. Is this really important to me, I wonder to myself, or do I just feel it should be?  Am I a good person, or is this my delusion? Define good, and so on. This is a common problem, the authors advise, and so to be true to your own values (assuming, of course, you are lucky enough to live in a society which allows this to a reasonable degree) you will need to apply Wise Mind thinking.

Here are some values of mine that have remained consistent over time –

1) Lifelong learning (via study, formal education, or by observing others). I get possibly too much satisfaction from studying a subject, taking an exam, and then collecting the certificate.

2) Don’t stop reflecting. This is also known as reflective practice.

3) Excessive reading. I’ve made a commitment to at least some of the unread books out there.

4) Non-destructiveness. A late-in-life goal. I’m trying to have the best relationships I can with family, friends, co-workers and even therapists. This is a distinct work in progress.

5) Staying healthy.

I need to check that these values are realistic. They seem to be. I’m not trying to save the world here.

In the next exercise, we’ll look at goals in relation to values.