Helpful Tools for
Personal Values Development
Personal values development ideally begins in child hood and continues for a lifetime.
Most of us received our first training in values morals ethics and behavioral standards by watching our parents and siblings.
Programs such as religious training, and/or boy scouts and girl scouts have been important for many in supplementing the development of personal standards and values.
Personal core values shape our life, and affect our health, happiness and stress levels yet they are often unexamined and overlooked.
Tools to Make Abstract Values
a Practical Reality Include:
12 Step Programs -
12 Step Programs are a powerful, systematic way to:
- dedicate one’s life to a higher purpose of service to God and one’s fellow man,
- infuse life with practical core personal values, and
- heal addictive behavior, pervasive discord and emotional pain.
Find out more about the versatility and power of
12 step programs.
Emotional Freedom Technique -
For practical effective free tools
to assist you in neutralizing negative emotions and implementing
positive values and ethics in your life, I recommend the Emotional
Freedom Technique, (EFT)as taught by Gary Craig.
Gary's work has brought
EFT postitive results and emotional relief
to thousands of people.
Find a Mentor to Learn From -
Learning
by example is a time tested method. Studying the lives of great men and
women can help inspire and instruct us on how to best live our lives.
For example, it is said that Martin Luther King Jr. found great inspiration for his life by studying to life and writings of Mahatma Gandhi. Gandhi felt it was his dedication to truth and to living spiritual values in daily life which gave him the power necessary to free India from the yoke of British colonialism and discrimination.
Keep a Journal-
Keeping
a journal is another helpful tool for personal values development. It
can help us see our lives in a larger perspective and with greater
clarity. When we do a "daily review" we can notice areas in our
behavior where we would like to improve and grow.
Further Reading for
Personal Values Development
Reading inspirational books can be instructive and thought provoking.
For an in-depth discussion of emotions and values as they relate to rates of happiness and levels of consciousness, I recommend the books of Dr. David R. Hawkins.
Dr. Hawkins is an experienced M.D.,
Ph.D. whose books share many insights into how we can transcend the
emotional pain and challenges of human life.
See Hawkins, David R., 2006, Transcending The Levels of Consciousness, The Stairway to Enlightenment. West Sedona Arizona: Veritas Publishing.
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