So much is changing in a relatively short period of time and it feels unsettling. And when the people and things we hold most dear to us change, our world can feel as though it’s completely unraveling.
What we thought we valued as most important may not be most important at all.
How Values Shift
Did you know our values are dynamic?
With time or experience, the hierarchy of our values can change. Typically, our values shift as a result of:
- New knowledge
- Social values and attitudes
- Personal experience
In a 2015 study, researchers Valdiney V. Gouveia, Kátia C. Vione, Taciano L. Milfont, Ronald Fischer studied more than 36,000 individuals across five geo-social regions and found that regardless of gender, values substantially change through-out our life span.
Why This Matters
When we don’t pay attention to how our behaviors align with our values, we’re harming others – and ourselves.
Relationships and teams flourish when trust is present. When there’s misalignment between what we value and what we do, well, we open the door for others to perceive us as inauthentic, manipulative, fake or even a hypocrite. The antithesis of trust.
You see, your values are the underlying foundation of your inspiration, vision, and motivation. They help you set a course to what you believe truly matters; they guide you to purpose and fulfillment. Understanding when and how your values shift enables you to make adjustments so that you’re leading from the strength of who you are.
Change causes so much churn it’s difficult to see and hear ourselves clearly; to know what we truly value and lead in the most authentic way. My goal is to give my clients that deep sense of being seen and heard, of helping them find the confidence that comes from being grounded in their own wisdom instead of being pulled by the forces around them.
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