The Power of Acting from my Values (rather than just talking about them)
Why we need to translate our values into choices so they can truly change how we live
I love delving into the meaning behind words, especially when discussing concepts like our values. Unpacking in a very specific, curious way how these terms inform our choices and thus our lives makes my brain buzz with joy.
And yet, as Alan Watts so neatly articulated, words are like coins — they represent something, but they are not it. As much as defining my values is important, doing so is not where their power lies. Instead, I need to live them, actively and — where necessarily — courageously.
It was this kind of thinking that led me to where I am right now, namely, sitting a small desk in a large airy room in a tall house in a tiny village in Umbria, Italy, where, gazing to my left, I have views across the wide valley to lush, densely green forest and folds of steep, rocky mountains. A cool breeze blows in and billows the curtains; The heat of the day is still masked by heavy morning clouds. I sip a coffee. I might be in heaven.
The moment of actively living my values — that is, making choices in alignment with them — happened a couple of months ago. A friend called and invited me, among others, to join him here in Umbria for a few days. My heart glimmered…
