How to Live by Your Own Philosophy
Understanding how you learn, experience, and reflect, effects how you think, how you feel and how you behave. It will enhance every aspect of your life.
Evaluate and Define What Your Values Are
Defining your values is a process of reflection and prioritization. Your values may evolve over time but to give yourself a place to begin:
- Make a List
- List what you may consider things that are important in your life/work.
- Critique Your List
- Answer: Specifically "Why?" for each specific word/phrase on your list.
- Refine your list, by deleting, rewording, and further specifying as needed.
- Prioritize
- Answer: In what order of importance should the word/phrases on the list be in?
- Highlight the most important 1-5 that you will focus on.
Evaluate and Define Your System of Thought
Becoming conscious of the way you want to think will make you aware of the way you are thinking. This allows you to change or think more efficiently. To begin:
- Examine What You Do
- Answer: How are my values reflected in what I do? (The way I think, my work, my relationships, etc.) How are they not?
- Answer: How should my values influence what I do?
- Examine What You Want
- Answer: What are my goals?
- Answer: How do my goals align with my values?
Align Your Values, System of Thought and Behavior
After defining your values and system of thought, the work of aligning the two begins.
- Document Your Philosophy
- Write down your values and how they should influence what you do.
- Change Your Behavior
- Now that you are conscious of what it is you value and want to do, begin acting upon it.
- Continuously Reflect
- Continuously revisit all of these steps and improve where possible.