I’ve been thinking lately about how quickly this year has gone. It honestly feels like I blinked and suddenly we’re at the end of September. How is that even possible?
There are just three months left of the year, and it got me thinking about how easy it is to keep rushing forward, thinking about what’s next, what still needs to be done, what we haven’t achieved yet without actually stopping to ask ourselves a really important question:
What do I value?
And I think this is such a good time of year to pause and reflect on that, because when you know what you value, you can begin to align your life with those values. And I think this is something we often don’t stop to think about.
What actually matters to me?
What do I want more of in my life?
What do I want to make space for?
For some people, their values might be social connection, seeing people, being out, meeting friends, being part of a community.
For someone else, solitude might be incredibly important. Time alone. Time to think. Time to breathe. Time to simply be.
Someone might value education, continuing to learn, reading, taking courses, making sure their children have access to good education.
Someone else might value health and wellbeing.
Nature.
Family.
Freedom.
Creativity.
Adventure.
Spirituality.
Connection.
There is no right or wrong. Your values are yours. And one of the ways we can begin to see what we value is by looking at where we put our time, our energy and our money.
Where does your money naturally go?
Is it towards healthy, nourishing food?
Books and learning?
Travel?
Your home?
Experiences with people you love?
Your health and wellbeing?
Perhaps you don’t have to think too hard about it. Sometimes your bank statement can tell you quite a lot about what you value, and then there is your time.
Where do you spend it?
Who do you spend it with?
What do you keep making time for, even when life is busy?
And perhaps more importantly:
What do you say you value, but rarely make time for?
That can be an interesting question to sit with.
A little pause for you
Make a few minutes this week and ask yourself:
1. What are the three things I value most in this season of my life?
Not what you think you should value. What genuinely matters to you right now?
2. Does the way I spend my time, energy and money reflect those values?
Where am I in alignment and where have I perhaps drifted away from what matters to me?
3. With three months left of this year, what would I love to complete, experience or put in place?
And what seeds do I want to plant now for the woman I am becoming and the year ahead?
You don’t need to have all the answers, or another big plan. Sometimes simply knowing what matters to you changes the way you move through your days, because when we know what we value, we have something to come back to.
A compass.
A way of checking in and asking:
Is this actually how I want to be living?
And perhaps that is the invitation for these last three months of the year, not to do more, but to come back to what matters. To choose consciously and make space for the things that nourish you. Begin planting the seeds for what you want to grow next.
I would love to hear from you if you are reading this newsletters/blogs, as I pause and reflect if this is adding value to YOU.