Are you looking to make a difference as your New Year begins? Benjamin Franklin started each day by asking himself, “What good will I do today?” And as nighttime arrived, he followed with “What good did I do today?” He desired and valued highly doing something good and used these questions to reflect upon how well he had lived his values each day. All of us have deeply held beliefs that guide all aspects of our lives.
Managing your life according to your values is not always easy. Often you will be tested by those who do not embrace your values. Even in something as personal as choosing to lose weight and become healthier, Negative people may discount your Positive attitude. It is an unfortunate truth that, at times, our value-based decisions may alienate us from others…but never ourselves! It is very important to live our lives based on the values we embrace. The naysayers will try to persuade you to go against what you have set as core principles for your life.
Surround yourself with “yea-sayers” who will support, encourage and walk beside you as you go through each day. Remember this is your life to live. Do so based on the values you embrace. Spend time at the start and close of each day reflecting upon the good you will do, and have done, for yourself as well as for others. Choosing to live according to our values does not guarantee we always get what we desire in life, but we will always be the people we desire to be!
By Jackie Anderson February 3, 2018
I love reading what you write and I also love it when I get to see you on stage. You are very encouraging and I thought so when I attended my first retreat with you. This article is right on target and reminds me that the most important person in my universe is me and once I take care of myself, encourage myself, and spend time building myself up, those naysayers can’t tear me down. And then, I can do the same thing for others. Surrounding myself with people who are in my corner has made a big difference. Thanks for sharing.