Inrageous/Outrageous Self-Care Enchantments for April 3, 2008

Inrageous/Outrageous Self-Care Enchantments for This Week

Building on the discussion of last week, one of the positive outcomes of going through a time of dissonance and chaos is that a time of chaos often precipitates a re-evaluation of personal values.

“Values” are the essence of who we are.  Values are principles that you hold to be of worth in your life.  Values are those things considered right, worthwhile, and desirable – the basis of guiding principles and standards.  Examples of values are: honesty, integrity, freedom, community, social responsibility, authenticity etc.  “Crystal values” are those values that are so important that if not present in your life will cause your life to shatter.  Think of what would happen if you dropped a crystal ball.  “Rubber values” are those values that you can drop for awhile with no problem and will come bouncing back when necessary.  Think of what happens when you drop a rubber ball.

Getting really clear on the values that are most important to you personally will give you a framework for making decisions, taking forward movement and assessing dissonance in your life.  Let me tell you about a client of mine.  Carol had identified that she held “social responsibility” and “respect for nature” as very strong values.  She found out that the company she was working for was pumping toxic waste into the local watershed.  She decided that she could no longer work for that company and in fact, felt she needed to report the company for the poor environmental business practices.  In spite of the fact that being unemployed was not attractive, Carol stayed true to her values and resigned.  While she had to deal with some short- term financial issues, this decision was worth it to her as she gained so much in the areas of self-honoring and self respect.

Is how you live your life in sync with your personal values?  If it is, you likely feel great, in balance and fulfilled.  If how you are living your life is out of sync with your values, you may feel discontented, frustrated and “not all there”, kind of like you are living someone else’s life.

So, the self-care enchantments for this week are all about giving yourself the time to gain or re-gain clarity about your values and how you use your values in your life and work.

Self Care Enchantments for the week:

1.    Set aside about 30 minutes and first create a list of “value words” and then ponder and identify which ones are your “crystal values” and “rubber values”.  Most people find that they have about 4 crystal values and about 4-6 rubber values.  Let me know if you need help with this exercise!
2.    Think of a chaotic time in your life and ask yourself what role values  or values out of sync played in the chaos.
3.    Treat yourself to something special for doing this exercise with flowers, a candle lit bath, a new yummy book, or something totally unexpected.

Although gaining clarity on your values and how you use them is already a huge gift to yourself, it strengthens your commitment to live by your values if you also add in the treat!

namaste,

Zoey

Zoey Ryan
coach . catalyst . shakti sage
life & business coach for women
“Coaching for your heart & soul”
www.positivelyoutrageouswomen.com
www.entrepreneurialsuperstars.com
604-323-3700

“I walk ahead of myself in perpetual expectancy of miracles”  – Anais Nin