Meaning of Value
Dictionary
the regard that something is held to deserve; the importance, worth, or usefulness of something.
Values play a pivotal role in our lives, closely connected to our belief system, and indirectly guiding us through various facets of life as we go about making decisions or choosing things for ourselves. It, in a way, defines us, who we are and what we stand for!
Let me share an interesting anecdote from my life, which explains how values impact us, our thoughts, and our mode of action.
My nephew came to me running one day and said he had a secret to share with me. I thought as a growing teenager it could be about his newly found attraction, or some questions which haunt a typical teenager’s mind ,but when he asked me to guess, I understood it was more to do with me than him.
He divulged that our domestic servant has taken up an additional job of “Begging” and that he finds her every day after work, standing right outside the nearby mosque to collect food, money and sometimes even clothes,which are often distributed especially post Friday prayers.
The next day, I asked her why she had taken to begging,despite a decent income,food and other benefits provided to her.
She replied defiantly that begging is no big deal and that everyone does it.
Her reply kept me thinking as to how our values dictate our real self, while there is no wrong and right and most areas of life are grey, yet in the future perhaps “Values” will be the single most important factor that would differentiate one person from the other, one community and nation from the other.
Because what we Value is what we are, our real, true inner self!
So, to take a deeper dive into understanding our values
Here is an exercise for you to discover your values and stay clear as to what you value the most.
In this exercise, we are focusing on values within eight different life domains. You will find a series of unfinished sentences ordered per life domain below. Complete the unfinished sentences within one or more relevant life domains. Try not to overthink your answers by responding with what comes up first into your mind.
Money and Finance
- Regarding money, my family taught me to be _______
- Regarding money, I am proud that ________
- The best thing about money is ________
- My biggest challenge in managing my money is _________
- If I found $100 on the ground, I would _______
Career and Work
- The main thing I want from a career is_______
- I respect workers who_______
- I expect my superiors to _______
- I would like to earn enough money to_______
- The thing I look most forward to about working is_______
- The most difficult part about work is_______
- If I were to consider a different career, I would like to_______
Relationships
- I respect friends/partners who ________
- For my friends/partner, I aim to be ________
- Things I appreciate about my friends/partner include ________
- One thing I wish my friends/partner would do more often is _________
- One thing I should do differently or more of is _______
- My favourite thing to do with my friends/partner is _________
- My biggest challenge in connecting with others is _________
Health and Fitness
- The healthiest thing I do for myself is_______
- The least healthy thing I do for myself is_______
- Regarding my health, I should do more ________
- I keep physically active because _______
- My attitude towards health and fitness is ________
- Being healthy is important to me because ________
- My biggest challenge in keeping physically active is ________
Fun and Leisure
- I make time for fun and recreation because _________
- One thing I like to do to relax is _________
- My favourite thing to do for fun is _________
- My attitude towards making time for leisure is __________
- I could bring more leisure into my life by _________
- To me, leisure means ________
Growth and Learning
- Growth and learning is important to me because _________
- I love to learn new things because __________
- If I could learn more about something, it would be _________ , because _______
- My attitude towards growth and learning came from _________
- My biggest challenge in pursuing growth and learning in my life is __________
Spirituality
- To me, spirituality means __________
- The most spiritual person I know is __________
- A memorable spiritual experience I had was ____________
- One thing I would like to know about spirituality is _____________
- My attitude towards spirituality came from ___________
Community
- To me, community means _____________
- Community is important to me because _____________
- I feel connected to my community when I _____________
- Being part of my community makes me feel _____________
- My biggest challenge in keeping connected with my community is ____________
- My attitude towards community came from _________
Reflection and Discussion
Now, consider your completed sentences and discuss the following:
- Can you identify common themes within your responses?
- What values can you identify within your responses?
- What meaning can you make from your responses?
- How can you relate your findings to your dilemma (step 1)?
Source;This exercise is taken from (Reference)
Conclusion: this simple exercise is just a start to a complex journey of knowing one’s value and also sustaining them, I hope you find it useful, and if you have additional questions, feel free to connect or write back at
Happy Reading
Best Regards