Someone once told me that you are more fulfilled when you operate out of your core values.

You may or may not know how to identify your values. I’m not going to act like I’ve known this information for years. I discovered a few of them in therapy this year, so don’t feel bad if you are just starting the process of understanding your core. In one session, my therapist was able to identify three of my values in just a casual conversation. The last two values I figured out on my own. Honestly, I never saw them as values, just things that I tried to purposefully incorporate into my life because they were important to me.

Purposefully incorporate- I’m intentional about covering the following five areas in my life:

Individuality

For me, individuality is about not losing yourself in other people, which we can easily do. It’s especially easy for women because we wear so many hats between work and home. Its so important to be aware of your own passions, strengths, and talents. Individuality is having your own identity, its in the clothes you love to wear, your music choices, it’s your opinion, your voice, its in the way you style your hair. Individuality is everything that makes you unique. I am intentional about making sure I take time to do things that make me feel like me.

Creativity

A lot of people would be shocked to know that I was a performing arts kid growing up and all I ever dreamed of becoming was an actress. I went to an acting camp every summer for four years straight, I performed in dance groups and other acting camps across the city. I played the piano and I played the clarinet in high school. I love the performing arts to this day. Broadway plays, live music shows, poetry readings and art galleries will always be my happy place. When I’m not watching the arts, I like to feed my creativity with blogging and cooking. So, I make it a point to make sure I am feeding my creative side on a weekly basis.

Health

When I say that I value health, I’m not saying that I am at the perfect weight, or I have the body I’ve always dreamed of having. I am saying that I never miss a six month dental check-up. I’m always early for my annual, physical appointments. I see a chiropractor faithfully, once a month, and I will invest in my mental health. I encourage everyone to try therapy, it will change your life. When I go to see any of my doctors, If I am unclear about anything, I will bring a list of questions and ya girl is looking for answers. I make time to exercise during the week because it makes me feel good mentally and physically. I intentionally drink a certain amount of water every day and I make sure I have green vegetables on my plate at least one meal per day. This is not to say that I eat healthy all the time, but I make room for healthy foods in my diet.

Faith

My faith is everything to me. I am nothing without it. Most mornings I start my day off with reading a devotional for the day, but one thing my husband and I always make time for in the morning is prayer. We touch and agree every morning, if we can’t touch and agree and he has to leave out early, we pray over the phone on the way to our destinations. Everything I have has been because of my faith. If I had to rank my values this would rank as number one.

Marriage

I invest in my marriage, which means I invest in me. I believe that being present and being your best self can only improve your marriage. My husband and I attend marriage workshops from time to time, we have a mentor couple and we have honest conversations that help us grow. I am committed to this for life and that’s how I see it, so everyday counts. Days turn into weeks, weeks turn into months and months turn into years. We are both striving to give our very best to each other. We are babies in the game, just completed one year, but I promise that I will always fight for our union, because it’s worth it.

Knowing your values can help you identify the best version of yourself and help you set boundaries with your time. I goal set around my core values every month. I am intentional about hitting these five areas in my life and I find that I feel the most accomplished when I lean into my values. I spread my goals out based on my time. I may only hit individuality and creativity a few times a month, but faith, marriage and health are everyday buckets for me. I encourage you to do some soul searching, identify your values and goal set around the core of who you are. Once you have captured these values, you will definitely be on the track to living your best life.