Legend,

 

Easter Weekend is upon us.

 

Before you gorge yourself with chocolate and hot cross buns, I want to share some insights I’ve gained from studying Dr. John Demartini’s book ‘The Values Factor’.  

 

If you’re someone who values personal development and living an inspired life – then this book is a must read. 

 

Discovering and living by your highest values is one of the most important activities you can do. 

 

Your values are your internal compass. They shape the person you are and the decisions you make. Your current life is a reflection of your values, whether you realise it or not. 

 

Your values aren’t things you ‘should do’ or ‘have to do’ – your true values are the things you want to do. The activities that inspire you. The relationships that energise you. 

 

The problem for many of us is we can get stuck trying to live our life through someone else’s values! 

 

And that’s a recipe for frustration and dissatisfaction.  

 

If you ever catch yourself saying things like,

 

“I have to do that…” 

This is a sign you’re trying to live through someone else’s highest values, or what Dr. Demartini refers to as ‘social idealisms’ — which are socially acceptable ways of thinking and behaving.

 

We inherit social idealisms from our parents, our peers, our work colleagues, and the people we look up to. 

 

If you find yourself living through someone else’s highest values, you will be living a miserable experience. 

 

But when you become aware of what truly matters to you, and you start living your life unapologetically in alignment with your highest values – life becomes a joyful and inspiring journey. 

 

 

 

The following exercise comes from Dr. Demartini’s book. Take the time to go through this exercise yourself to discover your highest values. 

 

Answer the following 13 questions giving your three most important answers for each.

If you look around your personal and professional spaces, what do you see? 

 

The items you choose to display showcase what’s important to you. 

 

For example, If I look around my office right now – I can see my big A4 Diary, my bookshelf full of books that inspire me, whiteboards where I track my business, my vision board, achievements and awards and photos of my family.

You always find time for the things that are important to you. 

 

If you review your calendar, what would it tell you? Another way to think about this one is, what three actions do you always prioritise no matter what? 

 

When I review my calendar – I can see I always prioritise my health, connecting with people and creating (newsletters, podcasts, content).

The best way to think about this question is to reflect on what activities GIVE you energy. Once you’ve finished the activity, you feel more energised than when you started. 

 

For me, I feel energised after reading, having great 1:1 conversations, using my skills to serve others or going to the gym.

This should be an easy one to work out, your bank statements will reveal all. 

 

What are the top three things you love to spend your money on?

 

For me, I love spending money on investing, personal development and business.

You may not think you’re an organised person. But we are ALL organised in the areas of our life that matter to us. Where you are most organised identifies areas of your life you value. 

 

When it comes to maintaining my inbox or tidying my office, I’m very unorganised… (just ask Kaci)

 

But I am super organised in managing our finances, my morning routine and planning my important activities each day. 

Where are you naturally disciplined and focused? What are the activities or commitments you do without anybody having to ask you? What areas of your life are you most consistent? 

 

For me, I’m reliable in the communities I’m involved in (such as Soul365, BNI and Toastmasters), in my business pursuits (such as writing this newsletter or my podcast) and my morning routine. 

 

No one has to tell me to do these things. I love doing them! 

This question isn’t about the negative thoughts you may experience. It’s about the recurring thoughts you have about how you want your life to be. And you can see evidence of these thoughts starting to show in your reality. 

 

The thoughts I often entertain that I can see becoming my reality are becoming a multi-millionaire investor, a loving husband and father and a world-class speaker and facilitator.

What do you see yourself doing? What do you see yourself having? Who do you see yourself becoming? What three outcomes do you most often picture in your mind that are taking shape in your reality?

 

For me, my answer to this question is similar to question seven. 

 

I see myself with a loving and happy family – and that’s coming into fruition. I see myself having my own podcast studio where incredible guests fly in to be interviewed by me. I see myself being paid to speak on stage in front of large audiences.

What is your internal dialogue like? What three outcomes do you talk to yourself about that you would love to see manifest in your life? 

 

For me, I find these dialogues running through my mind, 

 

When you’re in a social setting, what conversations light you up? What topics could you talk about for hours? What turns you from a shy introvert into a charismatic extrovert?

 

If the subject turns to finances/wealth/business, personal development or philosophy/spirituality – I’m in my element! I feel energised talking about these topics and can talk about them for hours!

Which people inspire you? What activities inspire you? What events inspire you? 

 

I’ve always been inspired by great speakers and great books. I feel inspired listening to stories of people rising up and finding their own success. I feel inspired when I witness masters in their craft.

If you reflect on the goals you’ve set in the past and right now, which are the ones you’ve truly been focused on where you can see evidence of them transpiring? 

 

These will reveal what’s truly important to you. And those goals you set that you never could attain – maybe they were never truly aligned with your values! 

 

The goals or visions I’ve had for years that I can see continual evidence building in my world are, being strong, fit and healthy, being a loving husband and father, becoming a multi-millionaire investor and becoming a world-class speaker and facilitator.

What do you love learning about the most? If you went into a book store, what section would you gravitate towards? If you looked at your YouTube history, what topics do you love binging on? 

 

I LOVE geeking out on books around money, business, personal development, psychology and spirituality. That’s where you’ll find me in the book store. 

 

 

Now that you’ve written down your top three answers to each of the 13 questions, tally up your answers and see what answers or themes repeat the most. 

 

Now re-write your list from most to least (you only need to put the top 5).  

 

To ensure your top 5 reflects your true hierarchy of values, go through your list and ask yourself this question, 

 

“If I had to choose between ‘A’ or ‘B’, what would I choose?” 

 

Continue putting two of your values side by side and asking this question until you land on the right order for you.

 

Now re-write your final top 5 highest values. 

 

 

What did you discover from this exercise?

 

Maybe you found you are already living your life according to your highest values. Or maybe you realised the goals you set for yourself, were not in alignment with your values at all! 

 

With your new gained awareness, you will be able to design your life in a more fulfilling way, and set goals that are in alignment with what’s truly important to you. 

 

One important thing to remember is your values are not set in stone. As you go through different seasons of life, your values will shift. 

 

How would you have answered these questions 10 years ago? 

 

Have a great Easter weekend,