Making Your Values Clear

As I seek to create a simple life, I’ve found it to be a lot harder than it sounds. So much so, it ranks up there as one of the hardest projects I’ve tackled. I think there are quite a few reasons for this, a big one being our always-on, ever consuming culture. It’s just so easy to buy something we don’t need, and with just a click of a button, the world can arrive on our front doorstep - in two days or less. It’s an illusion of seemingly unlimited supply, and it shows no signs of slowing down. But Simplicity, I’ve found flows best when we take time to slow down, reflect, and enjoy life in the slow lane. This is way easier said than done, and without a good set of values in place, it’s almost impossible to make any headway. 

This was me for a good while until a quote from Roy Disney [Walt Disney’s brother] helped me get out of my rut. He said, “When your values are clear to you, making decisions become easier.” This was the smoking gun for me. I had created values in my head, but they were only alive in concept and I was having a terrible time acting on them. It wasn’t until I sat down and was intentional about clearly writing out these values, did they become real and actionable to me.  

Although I applied this concept to simplicity, it can be deployed in any area of life, from personal to business. Be clear about those values you want to see alive in your life. You just might be surprised at how things change.