Making Value aligned choices in your day
Have you ever sat in front of your computer trying to do some serious work? But you just can’t concentrate, you can’t focus. This is what happened to me the other day.
Here’s the thing. It’s all about making choices, healthy choices. Making choices that are aligned with your core values, with what you really believe in, with how you’d like to see yourself. The person that you are.
For example last Saturday morning I was sitting here in this very seat working on the computer. It got to about 11:30. I thought, “I just could do with a cup of coffee and a piece of toast. I’ll sit down in that comfortable chair there, put my feet up and treat myself”. Then I thought to myself, “It’s a beautiful day outside…”
The sun was shining. Why don’t I go for a bike ride somewhere interesting, take a flask and a sandwich and have my lunch out? I could be back in an hour.
I cycled off. – went about 10 miles, 20 miles all together. 10 miles there, 10 miles back. I cycled up a massive hill and then I stopped in a beautiful spot – sheltered, sunny, autumn leaves. It was an old standing place where they put milk churns in the old days for the dairy to collect by a farm.
It was just beautiful. I felt fulfilled, satisfied, happy. I came home. Got on with my work and I’ll tell you what, I felt great.
That was a decision which I made in that moment, which aligned with my true feeling of how I see myself.
I see myself as enjoying fresh air, being healthy, being alive. Going on adventures, exploring the world. That’s what it’s all about for me.
My advice to you is to try and make healthy decisions. Always think when it comes to a decision point in the day, “What would my true self like to be?” How would my true core values align with this decision I’m making?
For example, When you open the fridge and you see that big piece of cake and you’re really trying to lose weight. Think to yourself. Stop for a second and think to yourself, “What would the true person inside me, my future person advise me to do?”
The person I want to be. How would they speak to me? They’d say, “Shut the fridge. Do something healthy.”
By the way, these ideas come from Dr. Susan David’s wonderful book Emotional Agility, which I highly recommend. She says…
“You should infuse your day with value aligned choices.”
Perfect.
Hope you’ve enjoyed this and I’ll see you soon. Cheers, Rob.