5 values at the core of my heart

What are your core values?  Have you ever really thought hard about this? I hadn't, until last week when Deb from Home Life Simplified asked us to define our values for Week 2 of Simply Your Life. I have been trying wanting to blog about this for the past week, and I can't believe how much I've struggled with this. This is what I'm loving about this challenge so far...pushing me outside of my comfort zone. I've assessed myself and tried to narrow my list down to five values that I know I feel strongly about.  Other things like happiness, kindness, health, gratitude and compassion were high on the list...but when it comes down to it...the following five things are what makes me tick.

My Marriage
There's a whole heap of values that fall under this category...love, friendship, intimacy, fidelity, trust, commitment, respect, teamwork...you name it. My hubby and I are a team, and for a team to be successful, we have to work together. We're on the same page in regards to our future, we have equal say in our finances, we have fun together. We've got each other's backs when it comes to parenting the kids.  We say I love you several times a day, and mean it...and we never stay cranky at each other.  Andrew is a practical Capricorn, while I'm the typical dreamy Pisces...together we balance each other out.  I trust Andrew, and he trusts me, and we're best friends. I value my marriage, and I can't imagine spending my life with anyone else.  When something is this awesome, you'd do anything to keep it...and I will as long as he keeps up his end of the bargain ;-) No need to worry there.

My Family
You may wonder why I consider marriage and family, separate values. In my mind, they're two different things. Family is forever... unfortunately the same cannot be said for all marriages. My children will always be my children. In our family, it's important that each of us feels loved, that we are important, and that we belong...no matter what happens outside our four walls.  I want our children to feel that they can come to me about anything, and that their opinions will be respected and heard. I'm honest with my children, I give them respect and I don't talk down to them. I think they deserve better than to be babied and underestimated. In return, I expect honesty and respect from them too. I also value our family traditions...the things that our family does together and celebrates together, and I love that the kids are interested in creating new ones just for us.

Education
You can take away someones freedom, but you can never take away their education. We begin learning from the day we're born, and it doesn't stop until you take your last breath. I love learning something new every day, and I love passing knowledge onto others.  I'm really enjoying witnessing my children discover their world, learning new things and sharing their new-found knowledge with me.  The way they're taught is completely different from when I was in primary (where I rode a dinosaur to school...lol). I've had to relearn the things I already knew, so that I can help them. If I don't know something, I'll look it up. If I don't know how to do something, I'll try to teach myself. Ignorance is no excuse, and knowledge is power!

Creativity
Life without creativity is very beige. I try to inject something creative into my life every single day. Being creative doesn't just mean being an artist. It can mean looking at something from a different perspective; trying new experiences; figuring out what works best for you, using the resources you have. It could mean rearranging the accessories in your home, or writing a blog post. In literal terms, I'm a scrapbooker. I'm preserving my family stories, and experimenting taking photos, while playing with paper and glue. It's a great creative release! I encourage my children to be creative too. If that means making a mess at the time, so be it...and it doesn't matter if it's not perfect. It's about expressing yourself. You don't need to be talented to be creative...give it a try! Free yourself.

Responsibility
I love this quote. I get so cranky with people who lay the blame on everyone but themselves. It is up to you. Don't fool yourself into believing that someone else owes you a living or a lifestyle. Stand up and take responsibility. I take great pride in being a productive member of society, and in my roles as a public servant and Justice of the Peace. I take responsibility for my property, my children's welfare and education,  my environment, and my finances. I am taking responsibility for who I am and what I do. Be ethical, be proactive, be a contributor, stand up for what you believe in. Be responsible for yourself.

I'm so glad I had the opportunity to pursue these ideas. It's made it crystal clear to me what my values actually are, and to reaffirm the way I live my life. These are the areas I want to continue improving on.

Have you considered what your values are?

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