Last month in the Refocus On Wellness group, we talked about values. I had the folks attending choose three values from the list I displayed on the screen and write their own definition of that value.
Here is the list that we used:
The purpose of this exercise is to live more intentionally and to filter our decisions and actions through those values to live with personal integrity. Studies have shown that affirming our values can lower our perception of stress and help keep us on track and aligned with our goals.
I often share my own choices with the group because I believe that vulnerability is what makes me a good leader. So the value I chose is honesty.
Honesty, to me, is about being vulnerable and transparent. And it’s a word that speaks to both my personal and my professional life. For example, when my kids were teenagers, I had a conversation with them after a disagreement that I had with my ex-husband, their father. I decided that I was no longer shielding them from the co-parenting struggles because I believed they were old enough to understand and see the truth for themselves.
As for my professional life, back in 2021, I shared with my Bee Yoga Fusion community that 2020 was challenging for many people, but 2021 was even more difficult for small businesses. For the first six months of the year, I ran my business with my hands over my eyes. I did not want to see the numbers on my spreadsheet. But, having to get all my documents together to do my taxes forced me to finally look and see that Bee Yoga Fusion had taken an enormous loss in 2021. It was the first year BYF reported a loss in the twelve years that I had been in business, but it doesn’t feel good to see that large red number reminding me that we are still pivoting through a pandemic. After that, I knew that going forward, I would be filtering my messages through the value of honesty.
If you are interested in joining the monthly conversation within Refocus on Wellness, you can sign up here. You will engage in thought-provoking discussions with like-minded people who want to change their lives by being more intentional and mindful.
