Personal Core Values Analysis

The second section of the Finding Meaning, Joy, and Happiness project focused on connecting with yourself. It included six different activities for us to take part in. The first activity prompted that we define three of our personal core values. These core values are embedded during our initial upbringing, and when we are able to live congruently with these values, we feel happier and more accomplished. For me personally, three of my most cherished core values include balance, openness, and integrity. We all have so much going on from school, work, family, friends, and so forth, that we sometimes neglect some of our own needs. Although it may not be easy, finding a balance between all these things is very important to me. Openness and integrity …show more content…
During the few days where I observed my thoughts, I was also suppose to give a presentation for another class, and like others, I find public speaking terrifying. Looking back, this was the main source for a majority of my negative thoughts. I found myself thinking about all that could go wrong, saying "I can’t do it", adding to my doubt and fears. While I should have been saying "I can do anything, I set my mind to" and thinking about the best case …show more content…
I tried walking in nature, meditation, and spending time with pets. These were all helpful. The walk in nature allowed me to think in peace, get some perspective, whereas during the meditation, not much thinking took place, and the pet-time with my dog back home distracted me and brought me great joy. This activity taught me new, more effective coping strategies.
Next, we kept a gratitude and random acts of kindness log. Doing this, I definitely noticed a positive feeling or sensation after each, especially the gratitude list. I 'm going to try to do this more often, because I take a lot of things for granted. Lastly, for the final activity of this assignment, we listed six things that bring meaning or purpose to our lives. Writing out these six things along with my core values has given me great insight into why I do the things I do.
In conclusion, after completing the second portion of the Finding Meaning, Joy, and Happiness project, I feel more connected to myself than I ever have before. This is the most valuable thing I gained from this project thus far. These activities were great, I learned so much about the power of optimism, coping strategies, our dependence on technology, and myself as a person. I have set a new goal to meditate and practice gratitude on a regular