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It is almost as if we have an inner blueprint that tells us how we should behave and react in
given situations and pain is a way of reminding us that we have acted in conflict to these
values. Of course this is fine when we still support and believe the values serve our best interests,
but many of the values become outdated or are not truly OUR values but those we have
accepted as being right for us because they were right for our parents or others. It becomes
essential to define the core values that serve us best.
A great deal of stress is unnecessarily experienced as a result of people failing to identify the
core values that mean most to them. They punish themselves for sins and transgressions that no
longer contravene their real value and belief system, had they only identified it.
By identifying and clarifying our true governing core values, we can access the power within
them to increase our personal effectiveness in life. A very real power becomes accessible to you
once you identify something that matters a great deal to you at soul level. The power and focus
this identification process reveals to you will help you eliminate uncertainties and move you
closer toward accomplishing the goals that are significantly important to you.
When our actions and behaviour is in line with our governing values, we finally experience the
inner peace we have been seeking. Such is the importance of values.

What matters most
It is important to remember that your values are the emotional states that are most important to
experience or to avoid, depending on whether the beliefs that supports them are positive or
negative. They are the feelings you want to experience or avoid, move toward or move away
from. They are the end result of your belief process. Positive, uplifting beliefs will generate equally
positive and uplifting values that will form the basis of your decision making. Clarification and
identification of your core values, what you value most and what you truly want most out of life
will help you make decisions more effectively and rapidly and bring about the happier, more
positive results you are looking for.
Where do our values come from?

The multiple governing values we all possess have their origins in many sources and life
experiences. Most of us for example respect the sanctity of human life. Keeping ourselves alive
is a foundation of our existence and there are those who place a greater value on the lives of
others than they do of their own, evidenced by the mothers love of her children. How many
mothers reading this, would not put their own lives at risk or even sacrifice their own lives for the
sake of protecting or saving their children?

Many of the moral laws that have evolved in different societies have bestowed their share of
governing values in our lives. Many of these draw their source from a respect for life, honesty,
property, integrity and other elements of the moral fabric that society is weaved from.

Values are linked to our identity and beliefs and often they are developed at an unconscious
level. Unconscious values often come from our families, our teachers and our peer groups and
are strengthened and developed as we ourselves develop and grow.
A core value is one that is relevant to all aspects of the individuals’ life. When a core value is
dishonoured, this can generate stress.

Other values emanate from the roles we occupy in our lives. Friendship for example requires
respect, trust and empathy. Leadership includes values such as integrity, wisdom and vision.

Our childhood brought many of our values, often in the form of emotional programming. It
comes from our exposure to and awareness of parents, siblings and others, all of whom
influenced our lives with their own values and beliefs. Some of these contributors brought
excellent lifetime values to our lives, others, may have brought negative influence in the area of
our values that have impact for as long as we continue to rely on them for our decisions and
behaviour.