On and off for the past year I have found myself on the search for the meaning of life. As I started to research I found that I am not the only one participating in the search. So many people have questions regarding the meaning of life, passion, purpose and values. You will find books, blogs, workshops, self-help initiatives, articles, etc. A common message communicated is that you need to find your passion and that will lead you to your purpose. How the heck will I figure that out?
A couple of months ago I read an article in the WSJ about a new book on the importance of having a “transcendent’ mission. The book is “On Purpose” by Victor Strecher. Check it out at http://www.dungbeetle.org. Victor’s purpose in life is to encourage over one billion people to find their purpose and to teach all his students as if they were his own daughter. I of course ordered this book.
The primary message in the book is that it is important to have a purpose, a direction, in life, and it’s particularly important to have a transcending purpose, something that goes beyond yourself. What does this mean for me exactly? Not really sure yet. LOL
I did learn from the book and my research that I first need to figure out my core values. No problem. I was able to narrow it down to 50, although I think the consensus is it should be more like 5-10. This should be easy for a HR professional…right? When I figure it out I will let you know.
If you are interested in figuring out your own core values, check out these links.
http://www.ethics.org/resource/definitions-values
http://www.inc.com/kevin-daum/define-your-personal-core-values-5-steps.html
http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newTED_85.htm
I am going to leave you with this homework assignment. Identify 5-10 core values. Let’s compare lists later this week. Good luck.
Mom In Transition 
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