In an ideal world, self improvement is a year round effort with no beginning and no end. But, if we’re being realistic, it’s helpful to have certain points in the year that give us a little boost in motivation. That’s why Dr Gracie and are teaming up for the Spring Reboot.
We can all agree that new year's resolutions come at the worst time of year. At least here in the UK, it’s the dead of winter and getting motivated can be a huge effort. So, we’ve moved it to the absolute best time of year for renewal and motivation… spring time!
At the start of the month Dr Gracie explained how our Spring Reboot works; so now I’m following up with the first part of four calls to action. This week it’s getting your values figured out and living intentionally inline with what’s most important to you.
The Importance of Discovering Your Values
We’re all familiar with the concept of life as a journey. We can think of our values as our compass on the journey. They don’t necessarily tell us exactly what to do, or where to go next… but they do give us a powerful sense of direction and guide us along the way. If we become lost, we can look to our compass to get heading in the right direction.
Many of us will think of ourselves as having values and them being important to us. But have you ever spent time putting a name to them and deciding which ones are most important to you right now?
It’s a really simple, but powerful thing to spend time discovering your values and then review them once a month. It helps you to feel fulfilled from what you chose to do with your life and satisfied with spending your time well. Our time is limited and precious, so it’s important to make sure we're living in a way that feels authentic. Exploring our values and keeping them in mind is a powerful way to achieve this.
Sounds heavy, right? I guess that’s because, it kind of is. We’re talking about what makes you… you. What defines you as a person and shapes your life. But just because it’s really important, doesn’t mean it has to be complicated. We made our My Monthly Intention Setting journal for exactly this reason, to make it easier for you. More on that later.
Living Intentionally
So, back to our journey. A compass is great, but it’ll only work on it’s own, if it’s an uninterrupted straight line from where you are now, to where you want to be. And let’s face it - life is not a straight line.
We need a map.
Something that breaks up our general direction into smaller steps. Then we can take action on these intentions and achieve a sense of progress and accomplishment.
This is what setting intentions does for our values. It brings actionable statements into the mix and enables us to give substance to who we feel we are inside. Intentions are the link between how we feel inside and how we present ourselves to the world. So, it should be obvious why it’s important to your wellbeing to get them right.
A good way to explain it is to imagine the opposite of living intentionally aligned with your values.
Have you ever been in a situation where what you were doing didn’t feel right? It perhaps felt like a waste of time, or worse like a bad thing to be doing? (Doom scrolling anyone?)
This is your signal that what you’re doing isn’t aligned with who you really are and who you want to become.
By setting intentions on what to do with our time that come directly from our values we can make sure we spend as much time as possible feeling purposeful, fulfilled and authentic.
How does it look to live intentionally?
Alex, like many of us, juggles a demanding job, family commitments, and social expectations. They often feel stressed and unfulfilled, despite their best efforts. It’s a familiar story and one that working on values and intentions can help with tremendously.
Alex feels like they're constantly on a treadmill, rushing from one task to the next. They rarely have time for themself and often feel they are drifting through life, constantly busy but never getting much done. Alex is starting to feel disconnected from what truly matters.
To begin to figure out what's important, Alex takes some time for self-reflection. They consider what activities bring them joy, what qualities they admire in others, and what they want to stand for. Through this process, Alex identifies several core values:
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Connection: Meaningful relationships and a sense of belonging are essential to Alex.
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Creativity: Expressing themself through art, music, or writing brings Alex a sense of flow and fulfillment.
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Well-being: Alex recognizes the importance of physical, emotional, and mental health.
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Reflective: Alex spends a great deal of time thinking about themselves, their actions and those around them
With these values in mind, Alex starts making conscious choices about how to spend their time and energy.
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Because "Connection" is important, Alex begins scheduling regular catch-ups with friends and family, prioritizing quality time over superficial interactions.
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To honor "Creativity," Alex dedicates a small amount of time each week to playing music, something they used to love but had abandoned due to lack of time.
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Prioritizing "Well-being," Alex incorporates short breathwork exercises into their daily routine to manage stress and improve focus.
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To make good use of their “Reflective” nature they decide to start a blog and put their thoughts into writing for others to enjoy, committing to one post a month to start.
These four small, but significant things have a high impact, and over time Alex experiences a significant shift. They feel a greater sense of purpose and fulfillment, their stress levels decrease, and they feel more connected to themself and others. By discovering and honoring their values, Alex has moved from feeling lost to living a more intentional and meaningful life.
No enormous life upheaval needed - just small intentional actions that align with what’s important.
A tool to help: My Monthly Intention Setting
Hopefully by now this is all making good sense, and also feels achievable. But where to start?
Dr Gracie and I created the My Monthly Intention setting journal for exactly this reason. We knew people needed a simple, easy and accessible way to do these important things:
- Value discovery: It helps you by explaining the different types and provides exercises to lead you to naming the ones that matter most to you.
- Intention setting: Support and space to explore what intentions you can set to live inline with the values you have identified with.
- Action tracking: None of this works without ‘doing the thing’. We made a section to help hold yourself accountable
- Reflection and review: Things change and as time passes you grow and adapt. Reviewing your values and intentions is part of this process.
We also know that a tool you don’t have with you won’t get used so we made our journals small and compact. They’ll fit in a pocket, a bag, next to your coffee mug… just keep it where you’ll use it.
And we also understand that right now - price matters. So we worked hard to keep it low!
Start your Spring Reboot now
This exploration of values and intentional living is a powerful starting point for your Spring Reboot. By gaining clarity on what truly matters to you, you'll create a strong roadmap for making positive changes.
In the coming weeks, we'll explore how to harness the science of habit formation, cultivate gratitude for increased well-being, and incorporate mindfulness for greater presence and focus. Each of these practices, in conjunction with tools like our "My Monthly Intention Setting" journal and mindful breathing techniques supported by Luma³, can contribute to a holistic and transformative Spring Reboot.
