Understand the value and importance of your developed potential.
It can be difficult to pinpoint your place in the “new world of work.” Media is buzzing with predictions as to what the future will look like, how remote work will affect us, and whether automation will steal our jobs. We struggle to find the right balance between enough technology and too much screen time (looking at you, Zoom happy hours).
But as human beings, we haven’t changed all that much. At its heart, everything we invent and everything we do is to fulfill the same basic needs. We need to have food, water, and shelter. We need to feel supported and connected to others. And we need to do meaningful work in the world that feels like a true expression of who we are — our human potential.
This journey to live life with more purpose, clarity, and passion is called self-actualization. Understanding our human potential is a key part of that.
Ask your friends what your best and worst qualities are.
Why not retort to talking to the very close people you, such as your family or friends. They are the ones who have been with you for a long time, and these are the people who would undoubtedly know clearly what your passions and interests are. More importantly, they can tell you what you are good at.
It can be anything from singing to dancing to cracking jokes. Things that come to you effortlessly and entertain others are your talents.
Ask your family what you loved as a child.
Why not talk to your mother, dad, or siblings and check with them about what you loved when you were a child.
Maybe you are having difficulty remembering such things, but they would surely remember. These are the people in your life who have known you for the longest.
There are things and habits that we pick up as kids and try to be good at these. Maybe we were good at it, but we tended to forget such things as we grew.
Your past behaviors, likes, and dislikes would give you a clear insight into your personality and how you grew up.
If some of these things still tickle your brain or bring excitement, these were the things that you loved and were good at. That’s what your talent is! Try to recreate your childhood and bring back the same level of gusto when you realize your strengths.
As you gain additional life experience, different things may begin to influence your beliefs and you may add new values, while other values become less important to you. For example, you may value fun above all others when you're young, but as you get older and begin to have more responsibilities at work, you may value achievement over fun.
Personal values: These are the values that people exhibit in their own lives and what they consider to be most important. These might include creativity, humility, integrity, compassion, selflessness or friendship.
Relationship values: These values demonstrate how a person relates to others in their life, including their friends, family, peers and colleagues. Trust, generosity, empathy and communication are a few examples of relationship values.
Societal values: Societal values depict how an individual or an organization relates to society. Accountability, environmental awareness, fairness, dignity, individual rights, community and social responsibility are all examples of societal values.
Organizational values: An organization's values help to provide it with a purpose, so it can manage both employees and customers more effectively. Some examples of organizational values include teamwork, productivity, innovation, volunteerism and passion.
Most people turn self-improvement into a to-do list. While goals are important, Inner Work® is what makes everything else you do more successful and sustainable. Read (or listen) to books, meditate, and pay attention to what lights you up. We often need a hefty dose of passion to truly feel like we’re living well.
Understanding the things you value most has the potential to help you better handle stressful situations that can sometimes impair your ability to solve problems and make decisions. When you're in a challenging situation, consider how you can use your values to make a choice.
It may be tempting to quickly react to a certain situation, but spending a few minutes reflecting on your values instead can help you ensure the choice you make is the most practical and truly matches what you value. For example, if you strongly value selflessness and see a person who needs help, helping that person can help you feel good about yourself because you were able to directly demonstrate your selflessness.
Knowing what your values are can also help you find job opportunities that most align with your deeply held beliefs and can help you feel more confident in an interview. If you strongly believe in security, you might look for a position where your duties are unlikely to change too often, you work the same hours each day and your work environment stays the same. If you value stimulation, you might look for a position where you can get to travel a lot and your duties vary from day to day.
