I have question for you:  are you just floating along in life, or are you moving in the direction that aligns with what you really want?

In order to live the life of your dreams, you have got to get clear about everything.

What’s important to you?  What do you really want?

What is your purpose on this planet?

What does your heart tell you?

What are your personal values?

It’s a tossed about word:  values.  We all have them – they are as ingrained within us as our blood types or preference for sweet or salty foods.  But can you actually define them?

I’m not talking about morals, which are defined by society.  Values are who YOU are – not who you think you should be in order to fit in.

“Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.” – John Wooden

One of the biggest gifts I was given this year was a question in The Coaching Blueprint (by Kate Swoboda): What are your values?

It’s an innocuously simple question on the surface.  I’m a coach.  I’m a writer.  I’m a thinker.  It should be easy to answer.  What I realized, though, was I needed a little help in clarifying ‘em!  So, I dug in, clarified, and defined my values, because, if I am not clear on my values, then how can I be sure that my actions are congruent with who I am at my core?

A ship without a rudder wanders aimlessly in the sea.

Like a ship, if we don’t know what’s important to us, we spend a lot of time wandering and wondering what we should be doing. There is tremendous power in discovering and living according to our highest values, and experiencing inner peace as the natural consequence.

When actions and values are aligned, life feels content, in harmony with your purpose – you have peace of mind, even in challenging times.

Let me give you some background:  In 2007, instead of creating New Year’s Resolutions, I chose a guiding word for the year’s focus. My world began to change. Since that time, I have selected one to three words to serve as my guiding principles for the year.  Each year, my life has become more focused, richer, fuller, and I have blossomed.  I discovered the truth of who I am at my core and when life got rough, I had a compass for the year.

Beyond just suggesting you choose a word, though, I wanted to give you something more impactful than a suggestion.  I wanted to provide a guide for you to clarify your values, and help identify how you want to feel and take action. When I began to search for a tool of some sort to help me get clear about that significant question (What are your values), I discovered that most values clarification exercises I came across were geared towards career goals. I wanted something deeper, so I created it.

Actually, I created an eBook entitled “Three Steps to Sailing Into Your Best Year : Creating Your 2012 Compass”.  And as a gift to you for the holiday season, I will be offering this eBook free to my subscribers for a limited time.  (Simply go here to subscribe and upon confirmation, you will be emailed a link to download all the parts of the eBook.)

Naming Your Rudder is a guidebook for clarifying and defining your personal values.   It’s not always an easy process.  I know it seems easier to just go with the flow and see where the current takes us.  But going through this process will bring you tremendous worth.  It will allow you to select the path of your true choosing and help put you on path to a satisfying, happy and fulfilling life.

What will you get by going through the process of discovering and developing your values?  They will become the basis for plotting your life.  By reviewing them often and meditating upon them.  You will experience the type of life you truly want.

And you’ll no longer simply be a passenger on the ship of your life.

You’ll be the captain.

I’d love to hear your thoughts, so please leave a comment and tell me what you think your own guide words are now, so that we can compare later.