Yesterday while listening to the eulogies at the funeral of a neighbour I was struck by how much of what was said revolved around this person’s values. No-one stood up and said ‘and his values were. . .’ But as each one spoke, they talked not so much about what he had done or what he had achieved, but about the person he was – a man of integrity, honesty, truth, high principles, commitment, family, involvement in church and community, a straight arrow, wise and kind, an officer and a true gentleman. . .
The many wonderful things he had achieved in his life – a long loving marriage, a close family, an effective an innovative place in his chosen career, a distinguished war record – and the lives he had touched along the way; all these flowed from the person he was and the values he held and demonstrated.
Our values are one of the things that help define us. Our values help shape who we are, the choices we make and how we live our lives. They are part of what forms our character and they illuminate the things that are most important to us. Values are not just about our beliefs and ideals, but about how we put these beliefs and ideals into action in both our everyday life and in the major decisions we make.
They are the standard by which we measure and by which we are measured.
Sometimes coaches ask their clients to think about what they would want people to say about them at their funeral. This is one way of identifying our deepest values, the person we truly want to be and how we want to live our life.
How would you like to be remembered? What values would live on in other people’s memories?
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