Many of us spend our lives trying to please others and pursuing goals that others have set for us. Instead, the authors of Invest in Yourself: Six Secrets to a Rich Life describe the self-designed life as a conscious choice. In addition, they wholeheartedly recommend setting the bar high, “no matter what you are aiming for in life.”

“…invest your time and energy getting what you want and doing what you believe in—not wasting them on things you don’t really want, but think you should have.”
Marc Eisenson, Gerri Detweiler, and Nancy Castleman

Therefore, the first step to taking charge of your life is clarifying your values and priorities. The reason this exercise in self-reflection is so powerful is because identifying what is most important to you will increase your self-understanding and strengthen your sense of autonomy. An excellent resource to help you in this process is Values Clarification by Sidney Simon, Leland Howe, and Howard Kirschenbaum:

“An important question to ask in the search for values is ‘Am I really getting what I want out of life?’ When we simply settle for whatever comes our way, rather than pursuing our own goals, we probably are not living a life based upon our own freely chosen values. We usually end up feeling that our life is not very meaningful or satisfying. However, before we can go about building the good life, we must know what it is we value and want. “

In addition, focusing on what is most important to you will keep you on track to reaching your goals when making both the big and little decisions in life. We all have multiple and often conflicting demands on our time, energy, and financial resources. The right course of action is not always clear unless we view our options in the context of our own values and priorities.

In Smart Talk for Achieving Your Potential, Lou Tice described this truth in the following way:

“If you don’t have a hierarchy of values, if you don’t have priorities already in your mind, you don’t know how to make your choices or how to control your reactions.”

In conclusion, it is essential to keep in mind that the essence of an emancipated life is the freedom and ability to live in such a way as to support your values and priorities. As you purposefully and progressively “make room” in your life for what is meaningful to you, the degree of happiness and fulfillment you experience will grow and multiply.

Reprinted by permission of Money Quotient, Inc.