New Year’s Message-Part 5: Beliefs and Values

It has started in earnest this 2014. I mean in just few more weeks, January will be gone—and we all know how February flies. March and April will beckon us and go away due to the Easter Holidays and before you know it, it’s midyear!

Today’s message for the New Year is simple yet seriously profound. Just as cornerstones hold up a building, our values in life will determine the quality of life we will have in 2014.

The worst we can do in 2014 is to roll on from 2013 as if nothing changed. The worst we can do in 2014 is to live our lives devoid of any known values that we dearly hold or follow.

One thing is for sure: We do what we do daily because of what philosophy or values we have subscribed to. This morning, I read a very powerful tweet from Tom Le Blanc that I would like to share with you. Here goes:

“Since Beliefs are thousands of times stronger than Desires, we must BELIEVE we can do something more than we WANT to do it”- Tom LeBlanc

That tweet made me stop and really think about what I really do believe about what I aspire to do in 2014.

You see, if I Desire to do something yet in the deepest recesses of my heart I believe for a fact that I will not make it for one reason or another, the belief will triumph over the desire. This is a sobering truth.

Our beliefs will ultimately determine what kind of values we will have. Our values will hold that belief up in whatever circumstance or situation. The son of a king for example has a belief system that is different from that of a subject or a peasant.

Our challenge today is to identify just four strong values that will govern our lives in 2014. We can do the resolutions and set the goals…but if we do not do that from a standpoint of knowing our values…or at least knowing the reason why we want those resolutions to happen, then we are setting ourselves up for a fall.

1. Values Define Us: We define our values and they define us.
2. Values determine what we will attract in life
3. Values Determine what we will repel from our lives

I am willing to bet that at some level, all of us are operating with values at the back of our subconscious minds. We just do not know it.

A very powerful thing in 2014 would be to take some time and define some of our values and then choose what exactly we would want to operate with to support our goals and resolutions.

How is that done? By reflecting upon your heart. Use the following questions:

1.     If someone waved a magic wand that would increase any value I choose by 1000%, what value would that be? For me, it would be Compassion.

2.     If I were to teach my children about values, what three things would I emphasize on? For me, it would be 1) Purpose 2) Passion 3) Prayerfulness

3.     What three things do I hate most? For me it would be: 1) Exploitation of people 2) Half-baked work 3) Lying

4.     What values do I see valid in 1000 years? For me it would be: Integrity, Excellence, Spirituality, Purpose, Consistency and Hard Work.

The next thing to do is to identify any recurring themes before you can get the top 3 values for 2014. As you set your goals and resolutions, make sure that they embody your values.