If you stand for nothing, you’ll fall for anything.
-Wayne
Sure, it’s a repeated line in a comedic show on Crave/Hulu about a fictional small town in Canada, Letterkenny. However, like many nuggets of truth, its actual history and nature goes much further back than I realized. Malcolm X is quoted with a similar saying as well as Alexander Hamilton. You don’t always have to say something original if many of the great people in the past have already said it better. Paraphrasing has power, too.
This expression/idea hits home hard for me, so much so that it has become an integral part of my life in more ways than I ever expected. It has helped me define my values and determine what I hold near and dear to me in my life from my lane.
Have you thought about your values and what you choose to stand up for? Do you know that you can work your own values out online if you choose to do so? It’s free. No cost to you whatsoever, aside from a bit of your time. In my opinion, though, I think it’s worth its weight in gold because it can help you better determine how to spend your time moving forward, in a more value-based and therefore valuable way. :)
Values also do not have to be static and/or permanent. I have completed this self-examination of what I find important to me in my life at least twice in recent years. Guess what? My values have changed some over time. Some have remained the same while others have fluctuated or exchanged with others some as I’ve learned and grown. For reference and to be fully transparent with y’all, my current top 5 values are, in order:
- Peace
- Health
- Authenticity
- Inner Harmony
- Growth
Where do you stand currently? What values do you hold near and dear to you? Want to find out, and might you care to share as well? By defining your baseline, you can begin to better evaluate and identify what in your life aligns with your current values. Perhaps it will offer some better perspective around what works well and what may be an area with room for (self-)improvement. It’s only a sugjestion that I have now offered to you.
Maybe it is wise. Maybe it is dumb. Time will tell. :) <3