Living in Alignment
Module IV | Session Two
Overview
M4 | Session Two: Living In Alignment
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Defining Personal Values
Depression and Values
What Are Your Personal Values?
Session Skill: Aligning with Your Values
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What Are Personal Values?
Values are the principles that give our lives meaning and allow us to persevere through adversity. Personal values are the things that are important to us…[They are] the characteristics and behaviors that motivate us and guide our decisions.
Source: Psychology Today
Depression and Your Values
Personal Values are “broad desirable goals that motivate people’s actions and serve as guiding principles in their lives”.
Personal values are desirable to an individual and represent what is important to someone.
The same values in different people can elicit different behaviors.
For example, if someone values success, one person may work very hard to gain success in their career, whereas someone else may take advantage of others to climb the career ladder.
A person can have many values with an individual assigning more importance to some values over others.
It has been shown that the values that are most important to you often guide your decision making in all aspects of your life such as career, religion, social circles, self-identity etc.
A personal value is a broad concept. One particular value can be applied to various situations.
For example, if an important value to you is loyalty, this could be applied to your family, friends or work environment.
Source: Physiopedia
What Are Your Personal Values?
Sometimes your values and your world just might not match! This lesson is about making structural changes to your life to better match what drives you, and what is most important to you.
What Do You Value
Let's start the process of figuring out what matters most to you. Which of these values and priorities speak to you? Take note of them.
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Relationships
Repair old relationships.
Reach out for new relationships.
Work on current relationships.
End destructive relationships.
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Being A Part Of A Group
Have close and satisfying relationships with others.
Feel a sense of belonging.
Receive affection and love.
Be involved and intimate with others
Have and keep close friends.
Have a family; stay close to and spend time with family members.
Have people to do things with.
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Being Powerful
Have the authority to approve or disapprove of what people do
Controlling how resources are used.
Be a leader.
Make a great deal of money.
Be respected by others.
Be seen by others as successful; become well known; obtain recognition and status.
Compete successfully with others.
Be popular and accepted.
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Achievement
Be ambitious.
Be productive.
Work toward goals; work hard.
Achieve significant goals; be involved in undertakings I believe are significant.
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Pleasure
Have a good time.
Seek fun and things that give pleasure.
Have free time.
Enjoy the work I do.
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Adventure
Try new and different things in life.
Be daring and seek adventures.
Have an exciting life.
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Respect
Be humble and modest; do not draw attention to myself.
Follow traditions and customs; behave properly.
Do what I am told and follow rules.
Treat others well.
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Independence
Follow my own path in life.
Be innovative, think of new ideas, and be creative.
Make my own decisions and be free.
Be independent; take care of myself and those I am responsible for.
Have freedom of thought and action; be able to act in terms of my own priorities.
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Spirituality
Make room in life for spirituality; live life according to spiritual principles.
Practice a religion or faith.
Grow in understanding of myself, my personal calling, and life’s real purpose.
Discern and do the will of God (or a higher power) and find lasting meaning in life.
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Security
Live in secure and safe surroundings.
Be physically healthy and fit.
Have a steady income that meets my own and my family’s basic needs.
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Fairness
Be fair, treat people equally, and provide equal opportunities.
Understand different people; be open-minded.
Care for nature and the environment.
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Community
Help people and those in need; care for others’ well-being; improve society.
Be loyal to friends and devoted to close people; be committed to a group that shares
my beliefs, values, and ethical principles.
Be committed to a cause or to a group that has a larger purpose beyond my own.
Make sacrifices for others.
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Self-Development
Develop a personal philosophy of life.
Learn and do challenging things that help me grow and mature as a human being.
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Integrity
Be honest, and acknowledge and stand up for my personal beliefs.
Be a responsible person; keep my word to others.
Be courageous in facing and living life.
Be a person who pays debts to others and repairs damage I have caused.
Be accepting of myself, others, and life as it is; live without resentment.
Source: Dialectical Behavioral Therapy Handbook
Session Skill
Aligning With Your Values
Accumulate positive emotions in the long term to build a “life worth living.”
That is, make changes in your life so that positive events will occur in the future. Refer to the list of values and priorities above to complete this skill.
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Step 1.
Avoid Avoiding.
Start now to do what is needed to build the life you want.
If you are not sure about what to do, follow the steps below.
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Step 2.
Identify Values That Are Important To You.
ASK
What values are really important to me in my life?
Examples:
Be productive; be part of a group; treat others well; be physically fit.
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Step 3.
Identify one value to work on now.
ASK
What is really important to me, right now, to work on in my life?
Example:
Be productive.
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Step 4.
Identify a few goals related to this value.
ASK
What specific goals can I work on that will make this value part of my life?
Examples:
Get a job where I can do something useful.
Be more active keeping up with important tasks at home.
Find a volunteer job that will use skills I already have.
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Step 5.
Choose One Goal To Work On Now.
Do pros and cons, if necessary, to select a goal to work on now.
Example:
Get a job where I can do something useful.
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Step 6.
Identify small action steps toward your goal.
ASK
What small steps can I take to get to my goal?
Examples:
Write résumé.
Visit places and look for job openings on the Internet in my area.
Submit applications for jobs at places I want to work.
Check out benefits at places I might want to work.
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Step 7.
Take one action step now.
Example:
Go on Internet and check for jobs in my area.