Values are the determiner of how we think, feel and act. They are the beliefs and attitudes we have come to over our lifetime and are influenced by our parents, our cultures and our experiences.
We all have values and we often assume our values are shared. But other than the obvious ones, such as kindness, love, respect and more, our values have many layers of complexity and subtlety that we rarely stop to think about.
The concept of values is often synonymous with the unwritten rules of participating in society or the tenets of religion. But our values are much more personal than this. They are the things we live and die for, the passions we engage in and the foundation of our relationships.
Gaining clarity on our personal values gives us the power to align with the things that energise us, resolve the cognitive dissonance of conflicting values and most importantly, allow us to choose to live a fulfilling life of meaning and purpose.
Understanding our values also gives us insight into others, to help us understand other perspectives and find opportunities for collaboration and harmony.
Our perspectives, our choices and our outcomes are not fixed. We have the capacity to transform our lives. What difference might it make to recognise our values, and our choices in our early years?
This is the book on values you have been waiting for... And the first in a major series set for release in 2022. Watch out for our forthcoming leading edge resources on respect and consent.
Quote from Terryanne from VIC.
"Our school is totally rapt with the My Values book by Melissa Reve that we purchased. I can't say enough about it. So much so, that we are including it in our inservice next Monday on student agency. I see the book as a beautiful scaffold (Prep - Grade 6) for letting the children decide how to take the information back to their classrooms. I am so excited about this resource."
For more values based education see our Big Book "Celebrations Around the World" here.