You're here! Let's start building our storyboard. We are establishing a core piece of our storyboard today. You are the content, so there is no pressure, no right or wrong. Today, we are going to start bringing awareness to our choices.
If you have not read the prep post from last night, please make sure to read it before continuing on.
Today's theme is values. This word can be exciting, daunting and/or grounding for you. Some of you might be thinking that you have no idea what values are or where to start. Don't worry, I got you! I have a pool of values at the end of this post to help get you started. If you know exactly where you are going to go with this, try to bring one deeper layer of awareness to really hone in on your responses. Ask yourself if your responses are by rote, or if they are the truth and/or dynamic responses alive in you! I encourage you to be honest and not answer by rote because then we are not listening to our core voices.
Okay, so we keep talking about this word, values. What are values? Values are the standards and principles that you deem most important in your life.
There is no pressure here. This is your private storyboard. This is about getting our minds starting to become aware of what we deem important is actually lived out in our daily lives. Sometimes I say I should prioritize something but then in reality my actions don't reflect my thoughts. That is when I need to reevaluate to see if it is really important to me or whether I need to make some changes around the actions in my life.
When I am aware and thoughtful about 'living' my values, I feel connected to myself, my purpose, my truth and find meaning in life. In Judaism, values are a constant thread. One thread is through the 613 deeds/commandments that the Torah, the Bible explains through storytelling. Each deed/action mentioned connects to a value. Something I relate to about this idea is the importance of making connections between our thoughts, words and feelings, "what we say our values are" and actions "the choices we make" as a result of what we say is important in our lives. When I don't feel aligned with what I say is important and what I am doing that is when I feel out of integrity, which then completely throws me out of whack.
Okay, now that we have talked about values, let's do this!
Commit the time you have This is your experience.
Post-its in hand - check!
Designated spot for your storyboard - check!
1. On 6 post-its put a small #1 and the word values in one of the corners.
*Since we will be adding post-its to our storyboard everyday this is a way to note which post-it corresponds with which prompt and day.
2. On 3 post-its and write 3 values/principles that you live by. Values are standards and principles you deem important in your life! Without reading the next prompt
Put them on your storyboard before reading the next prompt.
3. Take 2 post-its and choose 2 values/principles that you wrote and write one way you live each of them in your life.
Put them on your storyboard before reading the next prompt.
4. Take 1 post-it and choose 1 value/principle from the 2 you choose and write down one step you can take to embody or add action that represents this value/principle
This is about building awareness and starting to notice in your life where you live out the values you wrote down and where some that you deem really important are not a a part of your life in a big way. Maybe, there are some other values that show up more or maybe you are noticing patterning that you don't want as present in your life. This is the just the beginning!
A Wide Open Space
I believe storytelling is a wide open space. It opens me up to discover new perspectives and new pieces of me. Alfred Nobel has a story to share with us about how he realized his actions were not in line with his values.
In 1888, Alfred Nobel, the man who invented dynamite, was reading his morning papers when, with a shock, he found himself reading his own obituary. It turned out that a journalist had made a simple mistake. It was Nobel's brother who had died.
What horrified Nobel was what he read. It spoke about "the dynamite king" who had made a fortune from explosives. Nobel suddenly realized that if he did not change his life, that was all he would be remembered for. At that moment he decided to dedicate his fortune to creating five annual prizes for those who'd made outstanding contributions in physics, chemistry, medicine, literature, and peace. Nobel chose to be remembered not for selling weapons of destruction but for honoring contributions to human knowledge (a value of his!) Whether you are celebrating the New Year, honoring Yom Kippur next week or just choosing a new chapter to enter into right now, this is an opportunity to ask "How will you live?"
You did it! How did it go? How did it feel?
I would love to hear how this experience was for you today. This creation is an evolution and I love collaborating so please let me know positive or challenging or what came up for you as a result of prompt.
with gratitude and excitement for tomorrow.
N
Wide Open Spaces Tips:
* Have fun building your visual storyboard! I always have a few different colored post-its on stock and if you want to sketch or draw or add other visual elements- go for it!
*Ritual is about consistency. Following through in a designated space and time has the potential to create freedom. If this is daunting for you or you know you are better in routine - choose a time and an amount of time, put your timer on and stick to the same time everyday!
Values Pool (These are few to get you started)
1. Memory
2. Knowledge
3. Hope
4. Gratitude
5. Responsibility
6. Community
8. Compassion
9. Spirituality
10. Democracy
11. Humility
12. Modesty
13. Pride
14. Ambition
15. Diversity
17. Justice
18. Truth
19. Tradition
N