We hear it all the time. You shouldn’t trust someone’s words but their actions instead. But how many times do we hold ourselves accountable to this? Isn’t it the gap between our values and actions that is holding us back from what we want?

Where is the gap between values and action

Let’s start by identifying what you value most.

• Choose your top 3 values. Here is a list of values, if you need inspiration.
• For each of the values, write down what behaviors belong with it.
• Write down your daily activities. Which actions are reoccurring on a daily or weekly basis?
• Is the behavior for the second and third bullet aligned? If not, find the mismatch

Close the gap

Whatever behavior is in line with your values act upon it. If you stick to this, you will live by your core values and thus find success and contentment. Simple as that to close this gap between values and action.

But what if you are not pleased with the outcome? Or what if you don’t want to let go of certain actions?

Constantly pivot

The answers to the questions above are simple: change your values. It could be that you thought a certain characteristic was important to you but in reality it wasn’t. If you want to find out more about what’s important to you click here. It could also be that over time your values changed. Either way, the crucial thing is always aligning actions with values.

Image: Unsplash, by Jeremy Bishop