Values

“If you wish to know the mind of a man, listen to his words.”

-- Chinese Proverb

Values are a reflection of who we are, of our culture and our own unique heritage. Being clear about our values enables and empowers us to establish priorities and make decisions that we can live with and by. What we learn from our families in childhood serves us throughout our life. Families guide personal growth and education, while offering love and protection. When families are strong, our neighborhood is strong, our nation is strong, and we can be more hopeful about the future.

Key Points

Values have an influence at every stage of making a choice. Values shape what we perceive. They influence our goals, the alternatives we select, and the ranking of these alternatives. Values are a consistent response to situations with common factors. True values are the principals and ideals by which you live.

Many of our family ideals, beliefs, behaviors or “values” are merely habits of thinking or behaving. Sometimes this is because we don’t know any other ways, or because we haven’t stopped to think about the motives or reasons for the things we think, say, or do.

Values are a part of our experience. They contribute to that experience, and they affect our behavior. Identifying and communicating the values of the family can:

be helpful in making personal decisions;

become a guide for self-empowerment;

help us manage our time, energy and resources to our best advantage;

help us know ourselves better;

help us eliminate some of the confusion in our lives;

help us to formulate a desired system of values;

help us to act or behave in accordance with our desired system of values; and

help us to better understand and respect others who have different values.