Core values

Seems like I everything I have read in the last two weeks has been talking about core values.  There has been enough of this talk that I started recognizing the pattern sometime earlier last week (and it has just continued to show up everywhere!). 

So...today I spent some time (I'll admit it wasn't a lot of time but consider it a rough draft) of my core values.

**I respectfully retain the right to change any or all of these.  This is not a comprehensive list and they are in no particular order **

My core values:

• Education (both formal and informal)
• Creating personal relationships based on respect
• Authenticity
• Striving for excellence in all areas
• Creativity
• Weirdness (an all white picket world would be immeasurably boring)
• A recognition that all things are possible
• Fundamental value of human life (I considered changing that to all life -- but then how would I justify killing the spiders that like to move into my garage?)
• Cultivating Joy

I wasn't sure if I was just blowin' smoke with this list -- you know...making it sound good for when I wrote about it -- so I put it to the test against how I run the Eating Coach work I do.  I think it is a good test case since I have created every part of that program.  So here goes:

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Ok....I started listing the values along with an explanation of how I applied them to the Eating Coach program.  I was really crackin' along and had gotten to creativity (half way) when I realized that this whole section was smacking of narcissism and even my attention was wandering -- I can't imagine your experience would be any better.  So I erased it and will get to my point.

What are your core values?  And how do they play into your eating behaviors?  If you hold emotional openness as a value but are eating as a way of keeping from screaming and breaking down in front of your spouse perhaps you should look at realigning your behaviors to your values.

There are a million ways our behaviors get out of whack from our values -- and if you have every experience a moment when you realize you are out of whack, you know how much of a relief it is when you are able to line things up again.

Eating behaviors are a window to our values and world views.  They offer key insights into our deeper selves.  It is worth some time thinking about what you value above all else and then taking a look at how your behaviors are lining up.  You might surprise yourself at what you discover.