Qualities You Value
Q U A L I T I E S

definition
+ a person’s principles or standards of behavior; one’s judgment of what is important in life.
+ a distinctive attribute or characteristic possessed by someone or something.  (i.e.  “She shows strong leadership qualities”)

synonyms: principles, ethics, moral code, morals, standards, code of behavior.

Today, as we continue to move towards writing our personal mission statements, we are identifying the qualities that we value.

Everyone has standards and rules that they live by. We notice and judge others by those rules and standards.

We know that we should “judge not lest you yourself be judged” so I am not encouraging judging others in an evaluative, or dismissive way.  Truth is, though, that we each (and all) have an internal gauge that we use to “judge others.”  Not even consciously. But definitely.

There are simply some qualities that are more important to us than others.

For instance, I usually rank “clean (neat, tidy)” as not exactly the most important quality to me.  I like to be clean and neat and tidy, but in comparison to “honest,” “logical,” “respectful,” or “forgiving,” it will come later in importance.

Yet, I had a participant in my Personal Mission Statement workshop once rank “Clean (neat, tidy)” as his #1 important quality.  He was adamant and stuck with his choice even after others (colleagues) challenged his #1 ranking of “Clean (neat, tidy)”, suggesting there were more important choices.  He has a story… one, unfortunately I did not get to hear… but a story that explains his high value of cleanliness (I am sure).  And, if we could hear his story, I think we would understand and learn from it.

Can you identify the qualities that you value?

Consider situations and relationships and experiences that affect your choices.

It is possible that ranking these Qualities will give you some personal insight and may even come as a surprise. A valuable surprise in your process of writing your own Personal Mission Statement.

Identifying what you value  is key to you writing your Personal Mission Statement.
It is key to living your life on purpose.
Take the time to consider carefully.

The awareness of the Qualities that you value can influence the way you live, daily.