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Thursday 8 October 2015

WHAT ARE YOUR PERSONAL VALUES?






Values are what we cherish; virtues that are dear to our heart. They are important and enduring beliefs and ideas shared by members of a culture about what is good or desirable and what is not. We can say our values are the lenses through which we can view ourselves and our world. As values develop, they are crystallised and prioritised to form a value system. In essence, they form our own “personal truth” from which self-esteem, fulfilment, and resilience develop. Whether we are consciously aware of them or not, every individual has a core set of personal values. Values can range from the common place, such as the belief in hard work and punctuality, to the more psychological, such as self-reliance, concern for others, and harmony of purpose.

Personal Values
Personal values evolve from circumstances with the external world and can change over time. Personal value of a person is the dignity of that person. Person values are implicitly related to choice; they guide decisions by allowing for an individual’s choice to be compared to his/her values. Personal values may be derived from those of particular groups or systems, such as culture, religion, and political party. However personal values are not universal; family, nation and historical environment help determine one’s personal values.

Values Clarification
Values clarification is an act of identifying one’s own values in the midst of other values that are seldom productive, so as to live by own chosen values that become the basis for healthy and maximally productive life. Values clarification helps one hold onto own values in the face of fierce pressure without necessarily despising the values of other persons. Values clarification helps us to be assertive, make positive decisions and maintain positive self-esteem with fulfilled life.

Big Question
What are your own personal values? The target of this piece is not to teach any specific values, but to make you aware of your own personal values and of the way in which  you values compare to those of friends, adults, different groups in society, and even other societies in other times.

Knowing what your values are and then learning to live by them is one of the most powerful ways to gain inner peace and decrease stress level. This does not only apply to the bigger life decisions, but for our everyday decisions as well. For example, if you are someone who values honesty  highly, you will definitely feel uncomfortable when you cheat in an examination or take something that is not your own. When our actions are not in line with our values, the natural emotional consequences is stress and inner chaos.

Are you a young boy or girl with values? More importantly, are you a boy or girl who is very clear about his/her values?