Discovering my Personal Values: A Creative Laxative
I am currently sitting in the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh enjoying a protein bar and a large coffee (despite having set a vague intention of weening myself off of caffeine so as not to depend on it when I travel…oops!). I am two(ish) weeks into my journey of intentional homelessness. On September 4th I moved out of my NYC apartment and into a backpack (or 3…still working on whittling) and I’m grateful to have found the soft, sweet landing pads of futons, couches, and beds that belong to some of my best friends. My fingers are exploding with all of the stories I want to tell. Every day has been rich enough to write a blog post about and I feel creatively constipated. So much input and not enough output!!
So here I am sitting at this library and I think the best thing I can do is simply post something. I had envisioned writing a blog post manifesto about all the reasons I decided to take a year to travel the world, but perhaps a multi-clause sentence will suffice: I feel the most alive when I encounter completely new situations; I’m craving the feeling of challenge and want to grow in a way where I do not know what the outcome will be; I want to explore the feeling of what it means to be at home in my container without depending on external comforts, material possessions, familiar environments; I want to do the things that light me up the most so I can be of maximum service to others; I want to share myself through writing, drawing, and podcasting (get ready to meet all the inspiring people I meet!).
I was lit up by the idea of traveling right after identifying my core values through working with my life coach Rebekah Nanfria (I promise I’m not getting paid to plug her on nearly every one of my blog posts—I just think she’s wonderful and if you’re interested in coaching, give her a call!). It had never occurred to me that we all have a unique combination of values that makes us feel “right” in our lives. One person may value loyalty and would feel great ordering the exact same thing at the exact same coffee shop every morning; whereas another person may value spontaneity an would be delighted by trying a new breakfast place, even if the food isn’t as good. Here are my values, stacked in order of importance (the most foundational ones are at the bottom...like a real wall!):
Getting clear and specific about my values helped me give myself permission to envision what a value-based life could look like. Traveling the world, encountering new people/places/challenges on a daily basis, and honestly examining my life while doing it is the best thing I could come up with. I’m excited to bring you along for the ride!
