We all face difficult decisions and life always finds a way to throw circumstances at us, which test our patience, our character and our peace of mind.

Let’s take today’s crisis for example. Many of us have lost our jobs and face a time of uncertainty. But what if we use this time as an opportunity to reflect, get to know ourselves, figure out what drives us and reassess our priorities? Wouldn’t it be wonderful to set priorities that lead to happiness? By setting your true life values, you are able to focus on what’s really important to you.

Now let’s look at the story of John:

Ever since the day John lost his job, his goal has been to find a job ASAP. He spent day after day applying for jobs and had many sleepless nights feeling frustrated about the situation. He completely forgot about the world around him, because he wasn’t allowing himself to have fun. As weeks went by and piles of rejections followed, John finally realized that he wasn’t acting or feeling like himself anymore, he felt stressed and uncomfortable. He completely forgot to have fun, he forgot to relax and he even forgot to socialize with family and friends. John’s job hunt gave him tunnel vision and he lost track of his true life values.

It is not surprising that John felt this way. When your behavior doesn’t match your values, you begin to sense an uneasiness that slowly grows inside you. This uncomfortable feeling tells you that something in your life is off and you feel out-of-touch with yourself. These feelings can be the source of your anxiety and unhappiness.

But when your actions and words do align with your values, life is generally good and you feel content, confident and satisfied – even in the middle of a job hunt, sticking to your values can make life easier.

If you are eager to change your jobless situation, you have to realize that besides doing the best you can to find that job, the economy is not something you can control. So, what if you tried to change the strategy in which you deal with the situation?

When you know your life values, you will know what your motives are; the “why” behind your actions. Your values will serve as a compass in your life. And if you learn to live from your values ​​instead of achieving concrete goals, you’ll feel more in control of all the situations that life throws at you.

So, here is a simple exercise for you!

Below you’ll find a sample list of values.(I am sure there are more detailed lists/tests that can be found online)

1. Copy the list

2. Mark the values which most resonate with you

3. Sort your list in order of priority

As you scan the values list below, you may find that while most values have little or no significance to, there are those values that just jump out and call to you, and you feel, “Yes, this value is part of me.”

This values list is merely a quick guide to the exercise, so feel free to add unlisted values to your own list and elaborate as to why this value is important to you.

Good luck, have fun and feel free to share your values with our readers!