Life Values

You may not be able to prepare the future for your children, but you can prepare your

children for the future.

There are some examples of values of life:

● Dependability

● Reliability

● Loyalty

● Open-mindedness

● Consistency

● Honesty

● Efficiency

● Courage

● Kindness

● Patience

● Integrity

● Gratitude / Appreciation

● Forgiveness

● Love

● Growth

● Listening

● Respect

● Self-Giving

● Vision

Teach your child:

1) Being an Honest Person…the single most important value for children to learn.

2) The Value of Education and Academics…how knowledge can change a person’s life.

3) Impact of Food/Exercise...importance of taking care of the only body you will ever have.

4) Respect for Other People…the enjoyment of your life is highly dependent on those around

you.

5) Learning to Listen…an overlooked, but life changing skill.

6) Good Manners/Proper Personal Conduct…nice, polite people are the most enjoyable people.

7) How and When to Apologize and Forgive…lifetime tools to help you forgive and move on with

life.

8) Friends – Good Ones and Bad Ones…valuing these associations while maintaining

independence.

9) Personal Responsibility…owning up to who you are and what you did.

10) Understanding Financial Fundamentals…one is never too young to learn how to manage

his/her money.

11) Plans and Goals…the future is yours, reach out and get it.

1) Being an Honest Person

Why Is Honesty So Important? If you stop and think about this for a moment, most of us can

answer this question by sharing examples of honesty and dishonesty that we have experienced

in our own lives. Parents should not hesitate to share real-life examples because it the best

way for children to see the benefits of being honest as well as the problems that dishonest

behavior creates. Honesty is important because it the glue that builds and maintains trust

between people, young and old. Children need to learn that it is the act of honesty – not the

information actually being shared – that builds trust.

In other words, sharing bad news in a truthful way is much better than telling “something great”

that is really only a near truth. An act of dishonesty always damages the level of trust between

people, and there are no exceptions to this fact. So, if children are going to build and maintain

solid relationships, they must come to understand the role that honesty plays….and that the

practice of honesty will lead them to more friends and a much happier life.

1)Better Parenting - Honesty

Whatever You Do as a Parent, Teach Your Children to Be Honest. There are lots of good

qualities we can work to build in our children, but this one – honesty – is by far the most

important. Children who learn to value the practice of honesty in their lives have a much better

chance to a) develop the interests/skills that they possess and b) have beneficial relationships

with those around them. The starting point for parents is to explain to their children that there is

an inside part and an outside part to honesty…that there are significant benefits of being honest

with yourself as well as being honest with others.

2) The Value of Education and Academics

Value of Education and Academics

Each Educational Step is Important. Whether at the grammar, elementary, junior high or high

school levels; whether it involves specialized or vocational training; whether it’s a basic or

advanced college degree; or whether it’s post-graduate or advanced areas of study…parents

need to help their children understand and appreciate the value of education.

There are many benefits that knowledge brings to an individual. It helps them find areas of

personal interest and allows them to explore new things, things that they might ultimately do

with their life. It creates respect on the part of others as excellent grades and special academic

accomplishments set people apart in a very positive way. It can improve one’s financial well

being which, in turn, allows people to do more and see more during their lifetimes. How far

someone goes in the academic world is up to the individual, but parents should work hard to

create an appreciation of education in all of their children…knowledge can change people’s

lives.

3) Health/Food/Exercise

Health/ Food / Exercise

It very important to learn how to take care of the only body we will ever have. There is little

question about the fact that our society is getting fatter and less healthy because of two

important things – what we eat and how much we exercise. Parents, even if they need to get

online and study the subject to prepare, need to become better nutritionists and, as such, teach

their children how to eat in a healthy way. Children need a good understanding, early in life, of

the foods that are good for them and the ones that are not. Hand in hand with this, parents need

to teach children the values of exercise and how it helps us keep trim, and have more energy.

Also of importance (and to provide children more motivation) is to make children aware of the

diseases – such as diabetes, heart conditions and high blood pressure – that are much more

prevalent in individuals who are overweight and live an unhealthy lifestyle.

4) Having Respect for Others/Fostering Kindness

Children need to understand that the enjoyment of their life will be highly dependent on those

around them and how they make those people feel. Most of us think that life’s all about winning

and being successful ourselves, but, in reality, the secret to living a fulfilling and meaningful life

is helping other people win and be successful. We think that life is all about us, when it’s really

all about them. As one well-known speaker said, “If you want to realize your dream, find

someone and help them realize theirs.” One thing that children need to learn (and some of us

adults, too) is that other people are very important and, in some ways, they are “the secrets” to

a happy and fulfilling life.

Further to this point, one of the most important traits that a person can have (and that you can

help to create within your child) is that of being kind to others and having compassion for those

less fortunate. Your child will encounter, even at an early age, those who are disabled, or are

poor, or are troubled in some way or possibly even homeless. It’s very beneficial to cultivate an

understanding in children that all people are important regardless of age, race or circumstances.

5) Manners and Personal Conduct

There is a right way and a wrong way to conduct yourself. Too many parents just let their

children act the way they want to – never mind that they are disturbing the people having dinner

in the next booth at a restaraunt - we want our children to have “freedom of expression.”

Manners and Personal Conduct

Well, there is a time and a place for all things (remember that one?) and children need to learn,

again early in life, that where they are dictates how they should act and conduct themselves.

Okay, they can “let loose” in their room, no problem, but in a place of worship, in school, at and

other group gatherings, children need to understand that the expectation is that they will sit

quietly and not disturb those around them. Granted, there is a very young age when they don’t

really understand what you are trying to teach them in this regard. Nevertheless, you have to

start these lessons of personal conduct before they are fully ready to learn them, as it is a social

understanding that takes time for children to develop. If you ignore this training when they are

too young, they will develop the idea that it is acceptable the way they are acting.

6) Friends...Good Influences vs. Bad Influences

Children need to learn that there are two kinds of friends out there. As I write this, the news is

still fresh about two 12-year-olds who stabbed their friend 19 times trying to kill her. This may be

an extreme example, but children need to understand that, in addition to being fun and

enjoyable, some friends can hurt them in lesser ways. What about those friendly influences that

your child experiences, but that you don’t see or may not know about? What about your

children’s friends who hurt them in other ways…by saying bad things about your child, by

bullying them at school, by harassing them on the Internet or by trying to convince them to try

some drug? You won’t always be there at the point of attack so it very important that you

teach your children to make the distinction between the good influences and the bad ones. Give

them the confidence to stand up and be counted when someone is trying to influence them in an

improper way.

7) Personal Responsibility

Learning that you will always have to own up to what you do, helps children make responsible

choices in the first place. The reason that most bad choices are made in the first place is the

basic belief that one will never get caught and no one will ever know. Whether other people ever

know or not is immaterial. The thing that children need to understand is that they will know, and

just the knowledge of knowing that they did something wrong will, in fact, hurt them in the long

run. Children need to learn the value of living an honest life and that they are personally

responsible for their actions…how well they do in school, how they treat their friends, how they

use their spare time are all choices that they have to make…and be personally responsible for

the results.

8) Financial Fundamentals

Financial Fundamentals

Starting from about the age of three, children will be involved in managing money for the rest of

their lives. Therefore, children need to become financially responsible at an early age. They

need to have experience managing their own money, seeing what it’s like to save money and

have it grow and to understand what it’s like to operate on a budget with this week’s allowance.

Parents who don’t involve children in the issues that surround money and, instead, simply buy

them most the things they want (as well as what they need), are leaving a big gap in the

development of their child…a gap that the child will surely fall into at some point in their life.

9) Developing Plans and Goals

We all need something to look forward to…an important mission can direct our lives. Obviously,

it’s somewhat difficult for very young children to know what they want to do with their life, and,

that’s not really what we’re talking about here as career choices are typically made when we are

older. However, there can be many small goals (interests) that develop in children at an early

age and parents should be mindful of this so that they can be on the lookout for these little clues

that will most likely lead the child to greater interests and greater goals as he/she develops. Are

we saying that the 5-year-old who develops a strong interest in tennis will someday be a tennis

star? Maybe. We, as parents, need to teach our children that small goals are important and that

we are willing to help them achieve those goals.

● Time management is another…every child needs to learn how to manage their day

including time for homework, time for sports activities and time for responsibilities around

the house.

● Group participations help children grow, develop and learn to interact properly with

other children. Give some thought to the group participations you want your child to

experience and help them become an active part in several of them.

● Faith-based programs and activities should be considered as they can be a very

positive influence on your child’s life and enhance his/her opportunities to meet and work

with like-minded individuals.

● Being open-minded and tolerant of other viewpoints is something that children are

certainly not learning from the politicians they frequently hear/see on television so, if this

is important to you, you will likely have to do some special work to get them to be open-

minded about both sides of an particular issue.

What Are Core Values?

Core values are principles or beliefs that you hold most dear and that are of central importance

in your life. When everything around you is changing, when the world is difficult to understand,

and when you are riding up and down the emotion rollercoaster, your core values will always be

there for you.

Why Are Core Values Important?

Core values are important because they act like a compass to help you lead the amazing life

that you want, no matter where you find yourself in this world.

Not only that, having the right core values can improve your decision-making, your productivity,

your achievements and perhaps most importantly, your ability to love and be loved. They’re kind

of a big deal. And it isn’t just us saying this, studies have shown core values to have a whole

host of other benefits.

There are some core values:

1. Acceptance

The ability to accept what you can control and what you can’t control. Being able to understand

that on some days you are the hammer, and other days you are the nail. With acceptance as a

core value, you can build either way and be happy while doing it.

2. Adaptability

Life is going to throw you curve ball after curve ball and if you aren’t ready for them, you are

going to strikeout. Your life and the life of those you surround yourself with are far too complex

to confine yourself to one mould.

Be adaptable and ready and willing to change when you need to.

3. Awareness

Awareness is one of the best core values that we can adopt. Period. Awareness means paying

attention to yourself, to others, to the world around us, to emotions, to situations. It means being

able to see everyone and everything clearly – most importantly yourself.

4. Balance

There are going to be times when we need to sprint in life, and other times when we are going

to need to slow down. The yin and the yang.

Balance is one of the most important core values in many ancient cultures because it reflects

nature for what it truly is: perfectly balanced and able to bend, rather than break.

5. Calmness

As well as being a sublime state of mind, many people forget that calm is a simple decision to

make.

We can be calm in any situation should we allow ourself to be. No amount of angry drivers, long

queues or frustrating technology can penetrate us when we adopt calmness as a core value.

6. Community

Every one of us is a social creature, whether we believe it or not, and community has been a

key core value for us as a species for thousands of years.

We are hard-wired to socialize; to eat, drink, gossip, laugh, tell stories, share ideas, give and

receive amongst ourselves. Community also enhances the effect of other core values on this

list, such as creativity.

7. Compassion

Compassion is taking the time to understand the suffering of others and hopefully, being able to

do something about it. There is a lot of struggle and suffering that can be alleviated in the world;

with a core value like compassion we might be able to do help our fellow humans in some

meaningful way.

8. Creativity

With technology taking most of the administrative jobs, creative people are going to be leading

us into the future.

Someone who cherishes creativity is able to think up new and big ideas, see things that other

people can’t and see the world around them through their own lens, not somebody else’s.

9. Discipline

Discipline will lead us to the life that we want, should should adopt it as a core value.

Discipline to workout means more freedom in our body as our age. Discipline to save means

more freedom with our time and money in the long-term. And so it goes.

10. Empathy

There is perhaps no greater value on this list that will connect us deeper to not just the closest

people in our life but to complete strangers too.

Practising empathy requires the understanding that other people have a nagging voice in their

own head, just like you do. That they have a worldview different to yours based on their

experiences. And that’s ok. It’s not easy to adopt empathy as a core value, but it is certainly

worth it.

11. Freedom

Freedom comes in many forms and that is why it is one of the ultimate core values to have. The

freedom to choose, freedom to speak, freedom to live on your own terms, freedom to love and

be loved.

If freedom becomes a core value of yours, watch how your life changes for the better.

12. Gratitude

Gratitude provides a powerful perspective shift whenever you feel yourself get into a rut.

You can become grateful for the big things like having shelter, food and great people in your life.

You can also become grateful for the small things like the cup of coffee that you just drank or

the soft sheets on your bed.

13. Happiness

Happiness is a powerful core value and is not just restricted to your own happiness but also

friends and family.

When happiness guides your decision-making rather than superficial things like money and

status, you will find yourself in a much more satisfying position than if you chase other people’s

idea of happiness.

14. Health

They say that a healthy man has a lot of dreams and wishes whereas a sick man only has one –

to be able to get out of bed.

Health is the precursor to every other core value on this list; if you don’t have your health, you

can’t do much else until you do. Because of this, health has to be a core value in your life.

15. Humility

is the antidote to arrogance and selfishness and is a value to adopt if you want to keep your feet

firmly on the ground. It is said that you are never as good or as bad as people say you are.

Humility recognizes this and keeps you moving towards your goal, no matter what anyone else

says.

16. Innovation

The act of innovation involves taking one existing thing and making it better. Although images of

whacky car designs and complicated technology can spring to mind when thinking about

innovation, it doesn’t have to be that grandiose.

Simply seeing something small and making it better in your own life is enough to make a world

of difference.

17. Knowledge

Knowledge is power. Not power in the 14th-century medieval banker-sense but in the power to

change your own life-sense.

Knowledge about yourself, others and the world allows you to understand everything that you

see a bit better. When you see things for what they are, you can act accordingly and get to

where you want to be.

18. Leadership

It take guts, determination, confidence and humility to lead. All of these qualities are both rare

and admirable and are the reason why leadership is such an excellent core value.

19. Love

It can be argued that all of the core values on this list can be tied together by the one, all-

encompassing value of Love.

When we value love deeply and try to show it in everything that we do, we make our world and

the world of others a much better place.

20. Peace

Peace is another core value that takes years of practice to perfect. However, its rewards are

boundless with both the journey and destination full of rewards.

Peace enables clear decision-making, freedom in thoughts and actions as well as providing a

deep understanding of the special life that you live.

21. Purpose

Purpose can be doubled up with ‘meaning’ as these are two values that provide the drive in any

endeavour that we might pursue.

Purpose is what gets you out of bed every morning, it is why you sacrifice what you sacrifice

and often entails something bigger than yourself. If you don’t have a purpose, it is unlikely that

you will find much meaning in your life.

22. Responsibility

responsibility is an obligation or duty.

23. Spirituality

There is the importance of physical health, mental health and emotional health, but spiritual

health is just as important.

Spirituality has nothing to do with religion, it simply means taking the time to listen to your body,

to watch your thoughts, to connect with and appreciate the world and the universe that you find

yourself in.

24. Trust

Trust is a core value on this list because it requires many other difficult skills that also help to

develop you as a person.

To be able to trust and be trusted, you need strong relationships, an ounce of risk, a healthy

dose of vulnerability and a smidge of humility. All of this creates a recipe for a very positive life

with trust at the centre.

25. Understanding

Understanding comes from a place of acceptance of what is, not what should be or could be. It

is the ability to recognise someone else’s viewpoint without trying to change it. It is learning that

it is useless to fight against the way the world is and other people are, and to learn to dance with

them instead.

26. Wealth

Not in the monetary sense but in the ‘having everything that you need sense’. Someone who is

truly wealthy possesses great relationships, plenty of freedom, a life filled with joy as well as

many of the other values on this list.

Adopt wealth as a core value and it will act as a magnet to other incredible things.

27. Wisdom

Contrary to popular belief, wisdom does not come with age but rather, experience. There are

many young people with more wisdom than the oldest people that you know. What makes

someone wise is their ability to see broadly and clearly, to use good judgement and to be

decisive when necessary.

Wisdom is something that we all should seek.

28. Wonder

Wonder is thinking about the possibility of what comes next, dreaming about how you and

things could be better, pushing your own boundaries and what you think you are capable of

each day.