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30 Days to a better man
don’t worry about prioritizing them yet. We’ll do that later. Our goal
right now is to just get down whatever comes to you.)
5. If you have more than five values, eliminate some. Think hard about
what you truly value in life. Put a star by the values you’re sure about.
Then take the ones that you feel are important, but aren’t sure if they’re
top 5 material, and put them in pairs. Think about two of those values
side by side, and ask yourself which of the two is more important.
Then eliminate the other. Keep pitting the survivors against each
other until you’re down to 5. If some of the values you listed are just
two words describing the same idea, combine them.
6. Prioritize. Once you whittle your list to five core values, prioritize
them in order from most important to least important. Ideally,
your core values complement each other, but there might be times
when two or more conflict. When that happens, which value will
trump? If you know this before that choice presents itself, you’ll
know how to proceed. And even if your values conflict in the
future, look for creative ways to combine them. For example, family
might be your top priority, but so is volunteering. When you have
the choice of spending time with your kids or signing up to help
at a charity event, do both by bringing the kiddos along with you.
If you’re having trouble getting started, I’ve provided a list of values that
you might consider. The list isn’t exhaustive; there are literally hundreds of
values you could have.
• Adventure
• Balance
• Confidence
• Control
• Creativity
• Discipline
• Education
• Faith
• Family
• Financial
Security
• Friends
• Freedom
• Fulfillment
• Forgiveness
• Fun
• God
• Growth
• Happiness
• Health
• Hope
• Honesty
• Humor
• Independence
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