Knowing what is important to us can act like a filter for our decision-making processes and consequent actions.
Taking the time to work out what is most important to us (our values) could change the direction of our spending and saving. If we are clear (or getting clearer) on our values, we will be able to start noticing if our money is going towards what will make our dreams come true or towards what could crush our dreams.
More importantly it will become easier and easier to change our behaviour and start working our way towards those all important financial goals.
Financial goals should keep us on track but if they are not in alignment with our personal values, they may just be useless.
Take a moment to do this quick exercise.
- Refer to the list below and circle/highlight all the values that are important to you (if you feel there are some missing on my list, add some more).
2. Out of the ones you have circled, write down the 3 values most important to you.
3. Ask yourself ‘Are my spending and saving habits taking me closer to these 3 values or moving me further away from these 3 values?’
4. Write down 1 thing that you can change today to help you move towards your values.
5. Repeat this exercise every fortnight.
- Accomplishment
- Achievement
- Adventure
- Awareness of others
- Authority
- Balance
- Beauty
- Boldness
- Compassion
- Companionship
- Control
- Challenge
- Citizenship
- Co-ordination
- Community
- Confidence
- Competency
- Composure
- Centred
- Contribution
- Creativity
- Curiosity
- Determination
- Direction
- Education
- Exercise
- Experience
- Energy
- Fairness
- Fitness
- Flexibility
- Freedom
- Faith
- Fame
- Friendships
- Fun
- Growth
- Goals
- Happiness
- Health
- Hope
- Honesty
- Humor
- Inner Harmony
- Justice
- Joy
- Kindness
- Knowledge
- Leadership
- Learning
- Love
- Laughter
- Loyalty
- Money
- Meaningful Work
- Openness
- Optimism
- Peace
- Purpose
- Patience
- Pleasure
- Poise
- Popularity
- Recognition
- Religion
- Reputation
- Relaxation
- Respect
- Responsibility
- Security
- Serenity
- Support
- Sleep
- Solitude
- Self-Respect
- Self-Control
- Self-Esteem
- Service
- Spirituality
- Stability
- Success
- Status
- Trustworthiness
- Travel
- Wealth
- Wisdom
This could sound like a waste of time for some people but I know how much this simple exercise changed my financial situation. Unfortunately it took me a very long time because no-one told me about it and through research I stumbled upon this.
It may be an answer as to why so many of us just cannot get ourselves out of personal debt and/or change our financial chaos around.
It is so worth giving it a go.